When officials arrived at Isha Rani’s home in Sandhra, a village in, to install a rooftop solar system, neighbours assumed the family had invested heavily in the technology. The reality was quite different. The solar panels on her roof are a symbol of Isha’s academic achievement.
The daughter of an electrician and a student at Government Senior Secondary School, Sandhra, Isha had earned the solar system through her academic performance.
“My father never imagined that we would receive such a gift. He works very hard, and now this renewable energy will never put any pressure on his electricity expenses in future. This has motivated me to work even harder in my future studies,” says Isha.
“At the same time, we are also educating our neighbours about the importance of adopting solar energy, which is the need of the hour for a sustainable future.”
Isha Rani with the solar panel. (Express photo)
Isha scored more than 90 per cent and was among the 300 meritorious students selected under Hoshiarpur district’s unique “Go Solar” initiative.
Her father, Balwinder Singh, said, “As a parent, there can be no greater happiness than seeing your child’s education benefit the whole family. We could never have afforded a solar system ourselves. Today, people in the village recognise my daughter because of her achievement.”
Hoshiarpur is seeing a similar story repeating across the district.
For Navdeep Kaur of Government High School, Nandachaur, the recognition carries a deeper message. Kaur got 91 per cent and is now pursuing non-medical studies.
Her father works as a security guard.
“My parents always told me that education is the biggest investment. When the solar system was installed, everyone in the village started talking about it. I felt proud that my studies had become an inspiration for others,” Navdeep said. “We explain how beneficial it is; many are now considering installing rooftop solar systems at their own homes.”
Paras Saniyal from Pangoli village scored 84 per cent. His father works as a daily-wage labourer.
The installation of the solar panels has transformed what was already a proud family moment into a life-changing experience.
“My parents struggle to meet household expenses. Now the electricity can be utilised even for cooking; the expenses will be negligible. More importantly, I feel that my hard work has been recognised. It encourages me to aim higher,” Paras said.
His father describes the panel as a reward not only for his son but for the entire family. “For labourers, every rupee matters. It feels good that education has brought something valuable to our home.”
Prahlad, who scored 91 per cent and is from Naushehra, said the initiative has changed the way young people look at education.
“Usually, students receive certificates or trophies. This will benefit our family for years. It makes us feel that the administration truly values education,” Prahlad said.
Gurpal Teji, whose father is a painter, said younger students are already talking about following in the footsteps of beneficiaries. He is from Talwandi Salhan village.
“Everyone can see the solar panels and the ‘Go Solar’ board outside our house. Children now know that hard work… can bring real rewards,” he said.
Bikramjit Singh, who scored 96 per cent; Priya from Talwara with 91 per cent; and students such as Aran, Riya, Ramanpreet Kaur, Poonam Jassi, Bawana and Manjot share similar stories of pride, encouragement and gratitude.
Across Hoshiarpur’s ten administrative blocks, 300 students have received free one-kilowatt rooftop solar panels under a first-of-its-kind initiative launched by the district administration and implemented through the Indian Red Cross Society. Around Rs 1.20 crore in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding was mobilised to make the programme possible.
The beneficiaries were selected from government and private schools.
The initiative forms part of Hoshiarpur’s larger ‘Go Solar’ campaign, conceptualised and spearheaded by the District Red Cross Society (DRCS), Hoshiarpur, under the leadership of the Deputy Commissioner-cum-President of the Society, Aashika Jain.
The Red Cross brought PSPCL, PEDA, banks, Common Service Centres, vendors, government departments and NGOs on a common platform to raise awareness about rooftop solar adoption.
Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain said, “Our objective was not merely to install solar panels but to create young role models… When a child’s academic achievement brings a clean-energy asset to the family, it inspires educational excellence and environmental responsibility…”
The campaign has also ensured wider social inclusion.
Of the 429 applications mobilised through Common Service Centre operators between August 2025 and April 2026, 209 beneficiaries were women, 240 belonged to economically weaker sections, while 70 were small and marginal farmers. Between August 2025 and April 2026, Hoshiarpur recorded the highest growth in rooftop solar applications anywhere in Punjab.
Applications under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana increased from 785 to 1,214, representing a growth of 54.6 per cent. The number of rooftop solar installations also jumped from 240 to 624 during the same period — an increase of 160 per cent.
By comparison, Muktsar recorded 88 per cent growth in installations, Kapurthala and Sangrur 79 per cent each, Nawanshahr 79 per cent and Bathinda 74 per cent.
Officials said Hoshiarpur’s success lies in combining technology with community participation.
The District Red Cross Society Secretary, Mangesh Sood, said, “The district introduced GIS-based solar mapping, trained electricity meter readers as solar ambassadors, created a dedicated mobile application for Common Service Centres and launched extensive awareness campaigns across villages and urban wards.”
For the next phase of the programme, first and second rank holders in Class X board examinations from government and private schools are expected to receive free rooftop solar systems through additional CSR partnerships.
“For now, however, the beneficiaries are the students whose success stories have become visible on rooftops across the district,” says Aditya Rana, the Joint Secretary, DRCS.
Navdeep Kaur summed up and said, “These panels will save electricity, but they have already given us something more valuable — confidence that our hard work matters.”
“The project has created role models in schools and villages while promoting clean energy at the grassroots level. It is encouraging to see students becoming ambassadors of solar power,” says Gurpreet Singh, in charge of Government Senior Secondary School, Bhangala. The school also has two students among the beneficiaries.
Paras with his mother. (Express photo) 
Isha Rani with the solar panel. (Express photo)
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