Govt Approves Rs. 4388 Crore for Solarization of Agriculture Under PM-KUSUM Scheme.

Goverment Scheme

In December 2024, the Government of India (GOI) approved Rs. 4388 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) Scheme to solarize agriculture across states in India.


      - The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is the nodal ministry for the scheme.

      - The GOI launched PM-KUSUM in March 2019 to enhance farmers' income, improve irrigation methods, and reduce diesel consumption in agriculture.

      - The scheme aims to provide energy security to farmers in India while helping the nation achieve its target of sourcing 40% of its electricity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030, as part of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), and to add around 34,800 Mega Watt (MW) of solar power by March 2026, with a total central financial support of Rs 34,422 crore.

Main Point :-   (i) Scheme Establishes 10,000 MW of decentralized grid-connected renewable energy power plants on barren land, with a capacity of 500 kW to 2 MW. Power will be purchased by local DISCOMs at a fixed tariff.

      (ii) PM-KUSUM Scheme Provides 17.50 lakh standalone solar agricultural pumps (up to 7.5 HP) to farmers in off-grid areas, with Central Financial Assistance (CFA) of 30% (or 50% for specific regions).

(iii) Supports the solarization of 14 lakh grid-connected agriculture pumps, allowing farmers to use solar power for irrigation and sell surplus to DISCOMs at a pre-fixed tariff. The scheme aims to solarize agriculture, enhance energy security, and reduce reliance on diesel for irrigation.

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