GS Paper II – Government Policies and Interventions GS Paper III- Cropping Patterns |
PM KISAN URJA SURAKSHA UTTHAAN MAHABHIYAN
Why in the news?
States have started experimenting with various approaches to encourage uptake, while the ₹34,000-crore PM-KUSUM program, which aims to expand solar energy infrastructure in agriculture, is beset by delays. The Pradhan Mantri-Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) program aims to solarize 35 lakh grid-connected agricultural pumps, establish 14 lakh solar pumps, and construct 100 GW of solar power plants on farmer-owned land.
Important Specifics of the Kusum Plan
Executed by: The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is in charge of the program.
Key Features :
- A total of 1.75 million off-grid agricultural solar pumps will be issued by the government.
- On arid land, 10,000 MW solar plants will be built.
- Farmers in barren areas can sell their excess solar power to state electricity distribution firms (DISCOMS) in exchange for incentives.
- Existing government pumps and tube wells will be converted to solar electricity.
- The federal and provincial governments would share a 60% subsidy with farmers for solar pumps that is directly placed into their bank accounts.
- Farmers simply need to pay 10% of the remaining 30%, which can be secured as a bank loan.
Components of the Approved KUSUM Scheme
Component A: Small solar power plants to add 10,000 MW of solar capacity. Component B: Installing 20 lakh independent solar-powered farm pumps. |
PM-KUSUM: What is it?
Overview: The Indian government’s flagship PM-KUSUM initiative was introduced in 2019 with the goal of revolutionizing the agriculture industry by encouraging the broad use of solar energy solutions. It distributes capacity in accordance with demands from different states and union regions and operates on a demand-driven paradigm.
By March 31, 2026, the plan expects to have significantly increased solar power capacity by 30.8 GW, made possible by a number of different elements and financial assistance.
How Does the Scheme Significance?
Boost Access to Energy: It encourages farmers to sell the states their excess solar energy, thus increasing their revenue.
The program should make power more widely available in rural regions and offer a dependable energy supply for farming and other rural pursuits.
Limit Climate Disaster: By allowing farmers to sell their excess energy, they will be motivated to conserve energy, which will result in the prudent and effective use of groundwater.
Furthermore, increasing the irrigation cover by switching to decentralized solar irrigation and reducing the use of dirty fuel.
When PM-KUSUM is fully implemented, annual carbon emissions could be reduced by up to 32 million tons of CO2.
Employment and Empowerment: It is anticipated that the program will lead to job openings in the solar power project installation, upkeep, and operation sectors.
It is anticipated that the program will enable rural communities to take charge of their own energy production and distribution.
Key Difficulties with the KUSUM Scheme
Geographic Variability: The effectiveness of solar installations is affected by variations in solar radiation levels among different places.
Land Aggregation and Availability: Compiling disparate parcels of land into one cohesive unit for massive solar systems can be difficult.
Inadequate Grid Infrastructure: In particular areas, the integration of solar power is hampered by weak or unstable grid infrastructure.
Absence of Water Regulation: The sustainability of groundwater may be impacted by the adoption of solar pumps if water resources are not adequately regulated.
Challenges in Logistics
- Getting domestic equipment available is a logistical barrier.
- There is a supply problem since, although domestic suppliers have an ample supply of pumps, the same cannot be true for solar pumps.
- The problem is made worse by Strict Domestic Content Requirements (DCR), which force solar equipment companies to improve the sourcing of domestic cells. However, the demand cannot be satisfied by the current capacity of domestic cell manufacture.
The Future of the KUSUM Scheme
Encouraging State Collaboration: Reaching an agreement between the federal government and the states is essential to the decentralized solar power scheme’s viability. A coordinated agreement comprising the Centre, states, and other stakeholders is necessary for meaningful reforms in India’s electricity sector.
Competitive Solar Energy Prices: It is essential to increase the scheme’s attractiveness through more alluring benchmark prices in order to guarantee its successful implementation and strong engagement from stakeholders. This becomes especially important in light of the difficulties presented by increased implementation costs and the requirement for thorough maintenance.
Encouraging Sustainable Agriculture: Farmers are urged to adopt drip irrigation techniques in addition to switching to solar electricity. This dual strategy increases crop productivity while conserving energy and water, making the agricultural system more effective and sustainable.
UPSC (PYQ)
- Consider the following statements: (2016)
- The International Solar Alliance was launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015.
- The Alliance includes all the member countries of the United Nations.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: (a)
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