Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Mar 29: The farmers of Karnataka have news that can buoy their spirits. The state cabinet has approved the proposal to provide solar pump sets to the farmers under the central-government sponsored Pradhan Mantri Kisan urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM). About 10,000 farmers from Karnataka will be the beneficiaries of the scheme, sources say.

This scheme relieves the farmers from the need to depend on grid-connected power supply for farming activities. The farmers will have freedom to generate power from their IP sets by installing solar panels. In normal course, diesel or petrol are used to run agricultural pump sets. Under the said scheme, the pump sets will be converted into solar powered pump sets. The power generated at the solar power grid can be sold to the government which pays money to the farmers.

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For installing the solar power grid in their land under the said scheme, the farmers will have to pay a fee ranging from Rs 2,500 to Rs 10,000 for sets between 0.5 MW to 2 MW. The farmers will have to pay 40 percent of the total cost of installation in the agricultural loan by way of bank loan.30 percent each will be borne by the central and state governments. Out of the total cost of Rs 30,723 crore, Rs 1 0,697 crore will be met by the state and balanced by the centre.

To apply, the farmers have to register themselves online in the official website of PM- KUSUM. They have to scan the bank account details, fill in necessary details and submit. Solar power is provided to only new solar driven pump sets and not to the normal I P sets, sources said. The beneficiaries are selected online by Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Corporation Ltd. The power corporations get relieved of the burden to extend the power network to the fields of the farmers and save the power which they would have to otherwise supply from the grid.