50,000 solar pumps to be given to farmers and 'gaushalas' in Haryana: Minister

Fifty thousand solar pumps will be given to farmers and 'gaushalas' in Haryana with the assistance of NABARD, Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Banwari Lal said on Friday.

About Rs 1,696 crore will be spent on this special scheme, he added.

The minister was speaking at an event in Kadipur village of district Mahendragarh.

Lal said that about 238 megawatt of green energy will be generated in the state with the installation of these solar pumps.

"This will not only save the diesel used to run the pump, but also prevent pollution caused by the diesel pump," he said.

He further said that providing the cheapest energy is the priority of the government.

A solar energy-based project of about 413 MW capacity has been set up by the government in the state. The state government has approved 672 MW of solar projects, which will be completed this year, he was quoted as saying in an official statement.

The minister said in order to increase the income of farmers, the government has prepared a draft for pilot project in districts Karnal and Yamunanagar.

Under this scheme, 11 agricultural feeders have been selected, under which 468 electricity-based tube wells will be converted into solar energy-based tube wells.

The extra electricity produced from these solar energy-based tube wells will be provided to the farmers. About Rs 26 crore is estimated to be spent on this scheme, he added.

Apart from this, the Haryana government is also considering a proposal for setting up of agro-based bio-ethanol and bio-CNG plants.

For this, an agreement has been signed with Indian Oil Corporation, he said.