India set out to build 20 GW of solar power by 2022. It ended up committing to five times that much, and still got there late but big.
What the National Solar Mission Is
The National Solar Mission has a longer formal name. It is the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, or JNNSM. The government launched it in January 2010.
It is not a stand-alone scheme. It is one of eight core missions under India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change, or NAPCC. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, or MNRE, runs it as the nodal agency.
True or False: The National Solar Mission is a fully independent scheme, separate from any climate action plan.
The Target That Quintupled
The Mission’s original target was modest by today’s standards. It aimed for 20 GW of grid-connected solar power by 2022.
Then the 2015 Union Budget changed the math. It raised that target to 100 GW by 2022, a fivefold jump in one budget cycle.
True or False: The Mission’s solar target was raised from 20 GW to 100 GW in the 2015 Union Budget.
Three Phases of Rollout
The Mission split its build-out into three phases. Each one lined up with a Five-Year Plan period.
Phase 1 (2010–2013)
1,000 MW grid-connected, plus 200 MW off-grid.
Phase 2 (2013–2017)
4,000–10,000 MW cumulative grid-connected, plus 1,000 MW off-grid.
Phase 3 (2017–2022)
100,000 MW cumulative grid-connected, plus 2,000 MW off-grid.
Structure
Each phase’s targets aligned with a Five-Year Plan period.
True or False: Phase 3 of the Mission (2017–2022) set the final cumulative target at 100,000 MW grid-connected solar.
100 GW, Three Years Late
India crossed the 100 GW mark on 31 January 2025. That is about three years after the Mission’s original 2022 deadline for that figure.
India became only the fourth country in the world to reach 100 GW of installed solar capacity. The delay mattered less than the scale: this was five times the Mission’s original 20 GW goal, eventually met in full.
Revising a target sharply upward mid-course, rather than simply missing the original one, is unusual for a government scheme. It reflects how fast solar costs fell through the 2010s.
True or False: India crossed 100 GW of installed solar capacity right on schedule, in 2022.
PM-KUSUM and the Wider Push
PM-KUSUM stands for Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan. It launched in March 2019, aimed squarely at farmers.
It targets 34,800 MW of solar capacity, built through solar pumps and solarised agricultural feeders. Central funding behind it runs to ₹34,422 crore.
The Mission itself set the institutional framework and the targets. The fuller build-out story, current capacity figures, tariff history, and state-wise leaders live in a separate article: Solar Energy in India.
True or False: PM-KUSUM is aimed mainly at large industrial solar buyers, not farmers.
Current Affairs
- 1 Jun 2026 MNRE’s amended ALMM Order now requires government-backed solar projects to use only solar cells listed on ALMM List-II, not just modules. It descends from the old Domestic Content Requirement idea.
- Scale gap Domestic solar cell manufacturing capacity is about 31 GW. That still trails module manufacturing capacity of around 193 GW, which is why some projects got exemption windows.
- 30 Jun 2026 India’s installed solar capacity reached 162.15 GW, up 57-fold from just 2.82 GW in 2013-14, the government told the Lok Sabha.
True or False: As of mid-2026, India’s domestic solar cell manufacturing capacity is larger than its module manufacturing capacity.
Exam Edge
- Must Know JNNSM launched January 2010, under NAPCC, run by MNRE. Original target 20 GW by 2022, raised to 100 GW in the 2015 Budget.
- Good to Know Three phases: Phase 1 (2010-13, 1,000 MW), Phase 2 (2013-17, 4,000-10,000 MW), Phase 3 (2017-22, 100,000 MW).
- Great to Know 100 GW crossed 31 January 2025, India the 4th country to do so. PM-KUSUM (March 2019) targets 34,800 MW via farm-focused solar, backed by ₹34,422 crore.
- Current Affairs ALMM List-II domestic solar cell mandate took effect 1 June 2026. India’s solar capacity hit 162.15 GW by 30 June 2026.
Quick Q&A
Q: What does JNNSM stand for?
A: Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, launched in January 2010.
Q: What was the Mission’s original 2022 target?
A: 20 GW of grid-connected solar power, later raised to 100 GW in the 2015 Budget.
Q: When did India cross 100 GW of solar capacity?
A: 31 January 2025, becoming the fourth country worldwide to do so.
Q: What does PM-KUSUM target?
A: 34,800 MW of solar capacity through farmer-focused solar pumps and solarised feeders.
MCQ on the National Solar Mission
Try 6 practice questions on the National Solar Mission.
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UPSC CSP 2017 — Domestic Content Requirement
- UPSC 2017 The term “Domestic Content Requirement” refers to developing solar power production in India. It required solar developers to source certain solar cells and modules domestically, under the National Solar Mission’s own procurement rules. The WTO’s Appellate Body later ruled against India on this rule, in 2016. See UPSC CSP 2017 GS Paper I, Q27.
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