Provided free to people below poverty line Using solar energy is the best option available to tackle power scarcity in the State. With sunlight available in plenty almost throughout the year, solar energy is an ideal proposition to power homes, schools and other commercial establishments. General public of Vellore have welcomed the government’s scheme of providing solar-powered green houses free of cost to the people below the poverty line (BPL) in the rural areas, instead of the earlier group houses. According to an official release issued by Vellore Collector R. Nanthagopal, a total of 11,137 solar-powered green houses have been constructed at a total cost of Rs.21,158.30 lakh in the last three years. It has benefited many persons in the BPL category in Vellore district. N. Srinivasan, Project Director, District Rural Development Agency told The Hindu that while up to 2012-13, each house was constructed at a cost of Rs.1.80 lakhs on a 300-square feet plinth area, with Rs.1.50 lakhs being spent on civil works and Rs.30,000 for solar lighting, the unit cost was revised to Rs.2.10 lakhs from 2013-14, with Rs.1.80 lakhs going towards civil works and Rs.30,000 for solar lighting. As per the rules governing the scheme, only beneficiaries who have pattas in their names were eligible for the green houses. This meant that no land acquisition would be done for the implementation of the scheme. While the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj undertakes the civil works, the Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency undertakes the solar lighting component of the scheme. Enquiries with beneficiaries however revealed that the unit cost was not sufficient considering the escalation in the cost of cement and sand and other construction materials. Many beneficiaries have spent more that the unit cost, meeting the balance amount from their own funds.