The Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha announced that over 295,000 standalone off-grid solar water pumps have been installed across India under Component B of the PM-KUSUM scheme for farmers.
The announcement highlights the progress made under the flagship PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan) scheme since its launch in 2019. The scheme aims to provide affordable decentralised solar power and water security to farmers while reducing environmental pollution.
Component B specifically focuses on setting up 1.4 million standalone solar pumps that are not connected to the grid and fully powered by solar energy. The pumps provide irrigation and de-dieselise the agricultural sector.
According to the minister, nearly 75 per cent of the total installed numbers under Component B, are achieved in three states – Haryana (80,004), Maharashtra (79,118) and Rajasthan (59,732) – accounting for over 200,000 installations. The rapid adoption indicates the scheme’s success in enabling energy access and water security for farmers through standalone solar pumps.
The PM-KUSUM scheme also facilitates farmer-owned solar power plants under Component A and solarisation of grid-connected agriculture pumps under Component C. Together, the three components will provide clean electricity access, increase farmers’ income and contribute to India’s renewable energy goals. The progress under Component B marks an important milestone for the scheme’s objectives of farmer-centric energy transition and self-reliance.
