Haryana is leading state in solar pumps installation: Manohar Lal Khattar

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday said Haryana is a leading state in the installation of solar water pumps to promote micro-irrigation under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM).

Khattar provided solar pumps to the farmers during an inauguration programme held through videoconferencing from Chandigarh.

The government is giving a 75 per cent subsidy on the purchase of these pumps. On this occasion, people who have done remarkable work in the field of solar energy were also honoured, according to an official statement.

The chief minister directed the officials that the tubewells of less than 50 horsepower, which are running on electricity and are being used for agriculture purposes, should be shifted to solar energy in the state.

Haryana Power Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala was also present on this occasion. The deputy commissioners and officers of the new and renewable energy department also joined the meeting online from their respective districts.

The chief minister interacted with farmers Krishna and Trilok Singh from Hisar and Shashi Ahuja and Ishak Khan from Nuh, who have installed solar pumps.

Khattar also inquired about the scheme in detail from these farmers. During the interaction, the farmers apprised the chief minister that they had to spend only 25 per cent of the amount as the remaining amount has been provided by the government for installing the solar pumps.

Khattar directed the deputy commissioners to launch a special campaign to promote micro-irrigation and further to ensure that water reaches every field under the state government's 'Har Khet Ko Pani' scheme.

He added that instead of flood irrigation, people of the state should be made more and more aware about adopting micro-irrigation, drip irrigation or sprinkler irrigation or irrigation from community ponds.

He said that seven years ago, not much had been done in the field of solar energy in the state.

Till the year 2014, only 492 solar pumps had been installed in the state. Taking serious note of this, the current state government prepared a road map for the promotion of solar energy, he said.

He said that 25,897 solar pump sets have been installed in the past seven years and this year, the work of installing 13,800 pump sets is in progress. The priority of the current government is to promote green energy, he added.

The chief minister said there are about 80 lakh acres of cultivable land in the state. Out of this, 75 per cent area is irrigated, while irrigation on the rest of the land depends on rain.

"About Rs 6,500 crore subsidy is given to the farmers every year in the agriculture sector. Adoption of solar energy will also reduce the subsidy burden and save water. This will also save the diesel of the farmers and their income will also increase," he said, as per the statement.

The chief minister said a proposal for 20 per cent consumption of electricity through solar power for Panchkula district has been prepared for the year 2024.

Apart from this, projects to generate electricity from waste are being operated in Sonipat and Gurugram under the 'Kachre se Kanchan' scheme. This will promote cleanliness and additional power will be supplied, he added.