Haryana's agriculture has grown significantly as a result of the adoption of cutting-edge technologies such as solar irrigation pumps, according to the state government on Sunday.
The state government, led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, is consistently urging farmers to adopt latest farm technologies in order to boost farm productivity.
The Energy Department and the New and Renewable Energy Department have set new dimensions in the realm of electricity and renewable energy to bring solar energy to agriculture, according to an official statement.
Following the same path, the state government has done commendable work in channelizing solar energy in the field of agriculture.
Haryana is now the second state in the country after Gujarat to promote solar energy by the use of solar water pumps in the promotion of micro irrigation under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM).
The state has around 80 lakh acres of cultivable land, of which 75 percent is irrigated. The rest of the land has to depend on rain for irrigation.
According to the statement, installing solar pumps will save farmers expense on petrol and enhance their income.
The government is giving 75 per cent subsidy on solar pumps and farmers have to spend 25 per cent of the amount. There was a little work done in the field of solar energy in the state and only 492 solar pumps were installed until 2014.
The current administration took it seriously and devised a strategy to promote solar energy throughout the state. The target for the first phase was to build 50,000 solar pump sets, and in the last seven years, 25,897 solar pump sets have been installed, according to the statement.
The state government has set a target of 22,000 solar tube well connections for 2021-22, of which 15,000 have already been installed and the rest will be installed by March.
One inspiring story is of Sumitra Devi, who is a beneficiary of the PM Kusum scheme. She is not only increasing agricultural output by reaping the benefits of this scheme, but she is also setting an example for many other farmers in the state.
Devi hails from Mahendragarh district and has got a solar pump installed for irrigation of a five-acre land in Bhagadhana village. And now, she uses it for the cultivation of various crops such as millets and pulses, etc.
Devi adds, as she shares her success story, "Due to the high operating costs of a diesel pump, I used to cultivate only one crop.
Then I discovered about the PM-Kusum scheme, under which the Centre and state governments provide a 75% subsidy to install solar pumps. I applied for it and received a 10 AC HP submersible pump installed in my farm."
"I can now farm many crops and water the land during the day. Furthermore, there are no operating costs, and the solar pump's maintenance costs are negligible. I am quite pleased with the pump installation "She added.
