- The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has formulated ‘Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) Scheme. The scheme aims to promote the use of solar power among farmers.
- The scheme envisages a) installation of grid-connected solar power plants capacity up to 2 MW in the rural area, b) installation of standalone off-grid solar water pumps to help farmers who are not connected to the grid, c) Solarisation of existing grid-connected agriculture pumps- This would make farmers independent of grid supply and also enable them to sell surplus solar power generated to DISCOM and d) solarization of tube-wells and lift irrigation projects of Government sector.
- The expected benefits of the scheme are a) ensure predictable power supply to farmers, b) limit power bill of farmers, c) help farmers earn additional income by selling surplus power to DISCOMs, d) Reduce DISCOM’s subsidy burden to agriculture sector.
