PM-KUSUM Scheme

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evem Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) Scheme was launched in 2019 for installation of solar pumps and grid connected solar and other renewable power plants in the country.
It was launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
Under the scheme, farmers are provided subsidies for setting up stand-alone solar pumps and to solarise their grid-connected pump sets.
This scheme enables farmers to set up solar power generation capacity on their barren lands and to sell it to the power grid.
The Scheme consists of three components:
- Component-A: Setting up of decentralized ground/ stilt mounted grid connected solar or other renewable energy based power plants up to 2 MW capacity
- Component-B: Installation of stand-alone solar agriculture pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP
- Component-C: Solarisation of existing grid connected agriculture pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP.

The Scheme will have substantial environmental impact in terms of savings of CO2 emissions. All three components of the Scheme combined together are likely to result in saving about 27 million tonnes of CO2 emission per annum.
Further, Component-B of the Scheme on standalone solar pumps may result in saving of 1.2 billion liters of diesel per annum and associated savings in the foreign exchange due to reduction of import of crude oil.
The scheme has direct employment potential. Besides increasing self-employment the proposal is likely to generate employment opportunities equivalent to 6.31 lakh job years for skilled and unskilled workers.
In addition, the scheme would provide additional income to farmers, by giving them the option to sell additional power to the grid, through solar power projects set up on their barren lands.
The scheme also reduces the government’s burden of power subsidy in the agriculture sector.

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