Maharashtra Set to Provide 5 Lakh Solar Pumps Under PM-KUSUM: Dy CM

The State of Maharashtra looks bullish as far as the utilization of PM-KUSUM Yojana is concerned. In a major announcement, the State’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that the state government is planning to provide the farmers of Maharashtra with solar pumps.

The Deputy CM held that the plan is to benefit five lakh farmers of the state in the new offering. He was addressing the Legislative Council of Maharashtra. He said that the government was also looking to generate income by the way of leasing out state-held land for the installation of solar pumps. The solar powered pumps will strengthen the infrastructure in the agriculture sector in the state, the minister informed.

Farmers can avail 90 per cent subsidy when they install solar power pumps under PM-KUSUM Yojana.

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Fadnavis also mentioned that to begin with, the farmers of the Vidarbha region will be provided with the new solar pumps and power connections. He said that the government will clear their pending applications by March 2023.

The Deputy CM also informed the House that the Central Government has announced the implementation of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in order to provide uninterrupted and affordable electricity to consumers. The Centre has also approved a sum of Rs 39,000 crore for Maharashtra.

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In September, Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA) invited bids for the installations of 50,000 solar water pumps under component-B of the PM-KUSUM Yojna. These pumps will be grid-connected submersibles of 3, 5, and 7.5 horsepower (HP).

The state agency wants the developers in the notification to operate and maintain the installed pumps for the next five years. The key objective is to encourage innovation in solar pumps by allowing innovators to demonstrate their innovations in actual field settings. The exercise is expected to cost Rs 1,173 crores to the state exchequer.

According to the MNRE Ministry, a total of 21,499 standalone solar pumps in Maharashtra have been reported until October end of 2022.

Earlier in 2022, Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) allowed MSEDCL to procure 12.5 MW of solar power for long term under Component-A of PM-KUSUM by entering into power purchasing agreements (PPAs) for 25 years with generators.