Governance
Context: The deadline for a key scheme by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to install 30,000 MW solar power capacity in rural India by 2022, has now been pushed to March 2026.
About the scheme:
- Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has launched the PM KUSUM Scheme for farmers for installation of solar pumps and grid connected solar and other renewable power plants in the country.
- The scheme will open a stable and continuous source of income to the rural land owners for a period of 25 years by utilization of their dry/uncultivable land.
- The scheme would ensure that sufficient local solar/ other renewable energy-based power is available for feeding rural load centres and agriculture pump-set loads, which require power mostly during the day time.
The Scheme consists of three components:
- Component A: 10,000 MW of Decentralized Ground Mounted Grid Connected Renewable Power Plants of individual plant size up to 2 MW.
- Component B: Installation of 17.50 lakh standalone Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps of individual pump capacity up to 7.5 HP.
- Component C: Solarization of 10 Lakh Grid-connected Agriculture Pumps of individual pump capacity up to 7.5 HP.
Source: The Hindu
