State of PM Surya Ghar Q2 2026

If Q1 2026 was the story of demand, registrations surging to 1.4 crore, empanelled vendors doubling to 26,000, Gujarat leading from the front, then Q2 2026 (April–June) is shaping up to be the story of execution. Specifically: which DISCOMs are actually processing PM Surya Ghar applications at the pace the scheme demands, and which are not.

For India's solar installers, this is not an abstract policy question. DISCOM speed directly determines how long an installer's working capital is tied up between installation completion and final payment receipt. It determines how often customers call asking "where is my subsidy?" It determines whether a word-of-mouth referral comes attached to a glowing recommendation or a complaint about a three-month wait.

This tracker report compiles Q2 2026 DISCOM performance data from MNRE, PIB, Mercom India's state-level tracking, CEEW's solar SME research, JMK Research's rooftop solar installer economics analysis, and pmsuryaghar.gov.in portal data, alongside QuickEstimate installer platform data, to give EPCs the most current picture of which DISCOMs are performing and what to do about it.

Why DISCOM Speed Is an Installer Problem, Not a Government Problem

It is tempting to treat DISCOM delays as something that just happens to installers, a weather event, beyond control, best ignored. That framing is wrong and expensive.

DISCOM speed affects installer business in four concrete ways:

Working capital cycle. Most residential installers in India collect 30–50% upfront at contract signing, and the remaining 50–70% post-installation or post-net-meter. The faster a net meter is issued, the faster the final payment is collected. In a slow-DISCOM state, this remaining payment can be delayed by 45–90 days beyond installation completion, effectively extending the installer's receivables cycle to 3+ months.

Customer satisfaction and referrals. Customers who wait 8 weeks for a net meter in UP or Maharashtra do not necessarily blame the DISCOM, they blame the installer. Their referral value drops significantly. In our platform data, customers in slow-DISCOM states generate 35% fewer referrals than customers in fast-DISCOM states, controlling for installer size and job quality.

Close rate on new proposals. When a prospective customer asks "how long will this take?" and the honest answer is "DISCOM approval takes 6–8 weeks in this area," some customers opt out. Close rates in slow-DISCOM areas are systematically lower than in fast-DISCOM areas, approximately 16–18% lower in our aggregate data.

Documentation error rates. Slow DISCOMs often return applications with documentation requests that compound delay. Installers in these geographies invest more time in administrative rework than their counterparts in Gujarat.

The DISCOM Performance Score: The Q2 Framework

The central analytical tool for this report is The DISCOM Performance Score, a three-axis ranking that evaluates each DISCOM on the metrics that matter most to installers:

Axis 1, Feasibility Speed: Average days from portal application submission to feasibility approval (the scheme mandates 30 days).

Axis 2, Inspection Speed: Average days from inspection request to physical inspection completion (the scheme mandates 15 days).

Axis 3, DBT Speed: Average days from net meter installation documentation submission to CFA disbursement via Direct Benefit Transfer (the scheme mandates 30 days).

Each axis is scored 1–5: 5 = well within mandate, 3 = at mandate, 1 = significantly exceeding mandate. The composite score (sum of three axes, maximum 15) gives an overall DISCOM Performance Score.

For a complete understanding of how DISCOMs interact with the PM Surya Ghar scheme, see our glossary entry. For the SERC framework that governs DISCOM performance standards, see the SERC glossary entry.

Q2 vs Q1: What Changed and What Did Not

Two dynamics shifted notably between Q1 and Q2 2026:

What improved:

• Gujarat DISCOM feasibility processing improved slightly (from 11 to 9 days average), likely reflecting additional processing capacity added following Q1 volume.
• Rajasthan's AVVNL (Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam) improved from 22 to 17 days average feasibility following state regulatory attention.
• DBT processing speeds improved across most states following MNRE's February 2026 portal enhancement that added better tracking visibility.

What did not improve:

• UP DISCOM feasibility times worsened marginally in Q2 (from 37 to 47 days average) as Q1's elevated application backlog rolled into Q2 without proportional capacity increase.
• MSEDCL Maharashtra inspection scheduling backlogs worsened in April–May due to summer staffing issues, improving only partially in June.
• Net meter installation backlogs in both UP and Maharashtra increased in Q2 versus Q1, reflecting growing installation volumes against fixed meter installation team capacity.

Inspection Backlogs: The Hidden Bottleneck

One finding specific to Q2 is the emergence of inspection scheduling as a distinct bottleneck separate from the overall feasibility timeline. In Q1, "inspection delay" and "feasibility delay" were largely the same problem. In Q2, we are seeing cases, particularly in Maharashtra and UP, where feasibility is granted relatively promptly but the physical inspection visit is scheduled weeks later.

This matters because the PM Surya Ghar process requires a physical inspection before the net meter can be issued. If the feasibility approval comes in week 3 but the inspection visit is scheduled for week 8, the practical timeline from application to net meter is 8 weeks regardless of the feasibility speed.

How DISCOM Speed Affects Installer Cash Flow: The Working Capital Maths

The cash flow impact of DISCOM speed is rarely discussed explicitly in installer conversations, but it is one of the most important financial variables in the business. Here is the working capital model for a 10-job-per-month installer in two DISCOM environments:

1. 1

   Gujarat scenario (DISCOM score 14/15)

   Installer collects 40% advance (₹72,000 on ₹1.8L deal) at signing. Installation completed in 10 days. Net meter issued in 8 days post-installation. Final payment collected at net meter issuance. Total receivable cycle: ~18 days. At 10 jobs/month, outstanding receivables at any point: ~6 jobs × ₹1.08L = ₹6.48 lakh working capital required.

2. 2

   UP scenario (DISCOM score 5/15)

   Same advance structure. Installation in 10 days. Feasibility approval: 47 days. Net meter after inspection: 29 days. Total receivable cycle: ~86 days. At 10 jobs/month, outstanding receivables: ~29 jobs × ₹1.08L = ₹31.3 lakh working capital required, nearly 5× the Gujarat scenario for the same job volume.

Strategies for Installers in Slow-DISCOM States

Operating in a slow-DISCOM state is a reality for installers across Maharashtra, UP, and parts of Rajasthan and MP. The goal is not to pretend the delays do not exist, it is to manage them professionally and protect cash flow.

How QuickEstimate Fits the DISCOM Speed Problem

No CRM can make a slow DISCOM faster. But a well-designed solar CRM can help installers manage the cash flow and customer communication consequences of slow DISCOMs.

• Pipeline Management, Tag every job by DISCOM status stage (feasibility pending, feasibility approved, inspection scheduled, net meter issued, DBT disbursed). This gives your ops team, and customers, a clear real-time view of where each job is in the DISCOM queue.
• WhatsApp Follow-Up, Automate proactive weekly DISCOM status updates to customers in slow-DISCOM states. Customers who receive regular updates generate 60% fewer inbound "where is my subsidy?" calls and provide significantly more referrals.
• Sales Reports, Track average days-to-net-meter by DISCOM zone to validate whether your on-the-ground experience matches the benchmarks in this report, and to set accurate timelines for future customers in that geography.

See also our overview of PM Surya Ghar in the glossary and the complete guide to solar CRM software in India for more context on how CRM tools interact with the PM Surya Ghar workflow.

What to Do This Week

The DISCOM Performance Score framework translates into concrete operational steps:

1. Score your own DISCOM. Using the three-axis framework, feasibility speed, inspection speed, DBT speed, estimate your typical DISCOM performance based on your last 10 completed jobs. Compare to the benchmarks in this report.

2. Adjust your payment terms by DISCOM zone. If you operate in an MSEDCL or UP DISCOM zone, restructure your payment terms to collect 60–70% before installation. This is not about distrust, it is about matching cash flow to a working capital cycle that is 75–90 days in those geographies.

3. Create a DISCOM follow-up template. Write a standard WhatsApp message you send to customers every 7 days with a status update. Even if the status is "still waiting for inspection scheduling," customers who receive this message are dramatically less likely to complain or reduce referrals.

4. Set up application status tagging in your pipeline. If you use QuickEstimate, tag each job by its DISCOM stage today. If you do not, create a simple WhatsApp list of all jobs currently in DISCOM processing with their application date, so you know immediately which are overdue.

5. Brief your sales team on Q2 DISCOM timelines. Make sure every salesperson quoting in your geography is using Q2 2026 actual DISCOM timelines, not the scheme's 30-day mandate. Accurate expectation-setting at the proposal stage is the single most effective way to reduce post-sale customer frustration in slow-DISCOM states.

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Frequently asked questions

Which DISCOM has the best PM Surya Ghar performance in India in Q2 2026?

Gujarat's DISCOMs, PGVCL, UGVCL, DGVCL, and MGVCL, have the best performance in India in Q2 2026, scoring 13–14 out of 15 on the DISCOM Performance Score. Average feasibility processing in Gujarat dropped to 9 days in Q2, well within the scheme's 30-day mandate, with inspection and net meter processing also among the fastest nationally.

Which DISCOMs are slowest for PM Surya Ghar in Q2 2026?

UP's distribution companies (PVVNL, MVVNL, and others) score lowest at 5/15 on the DISCOM Performance Score in Q2 2026, with average feasibility processing worsening to 47 days, well beyond the scheme's 30-day mandate. MSEDCL Maharashtra scores 7/15, with feasibility averaging 31 days and inspection backlogs worsening versus Q1.

How does DISCOM speed affect an installer's working capital?

In a fast-DISCOM state like Gujarat, an installer completing 10 jobs/month needs approximately ₹6.5 lakh in working capital to cover outstanding receivables. In a slow-DISCOM state like UP, the same installer needs approximately ₹31 lakh, nearly 5× more, because the receivable cycle extends from 18 days to 86 days. The interest cost on this additional working capital at 12% annual rate represents approximately ₹3 lakh/year of hidden margin erosion.

What is the DISCOM Performance Score?

The DISCOM Performance Score is a three-axis ranking framework for evaluating DISCOMs on: Feasibility Speed (days from portal application to feasibility approval), Inspection Speed (days from inspection request to physical inspection), and DBT Speed (days from net meter documentation to CFA disbursement). Each axis is scored 1–5, giving a composite score out of 15. Higher scores indicate faster, more compliant DISCOM processing.

What payment structure should I use for jobs in slow-DISCOM states?

In Maharashtra (MSEDCL) and UP, collect 60–70% of the project value before or at installation completion, rather than the standard 40% advance structure common in Gujarat. This protects your cash flow during the extended 75–90 day DISCOM processing cycle. Frame this as industry-standard practice, not as distrust of the customer.

Why did UP DISCOM feasibility times worsen from Q1 to Q2 2026?

UP DISCOM feasibility times worsened from 37 to 47 days because Q1's record registration volumes rolled into Q2 as a large accumulated backlog, without proportional increase in DISCOM processing capacity. UP has the highest application-to-capacity ratio of any major solar state in India, and without investment in digitised processing infrastructure, backlogs compound as volumes grow.

How can installers improve outcomes with slow DISCOMs?

Four strategies work: collect higher advances before installation to protect cash flow; set accurate timelines with customers (quote 6–10 weeks for UP, 5–6 weeks for Maharashtra); submit inspection requests the same day as installation completion to minimise queue delays; and send customers proactive weekly DISCOM status updates to prevent "where is my subsidy?" calls from eroding satisfaction and referral rates.