Haryana Offers 75% Subsidy Support Under PM-KUSUM

Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (HREDA) has now issued notification seeking applications from farmers for solar irrigation pump connections under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthan Mahabhiyaan (PM-KUSUM). The notification asked the eligible farmers to apply up to July 12, 2023. 

Under the scheme, the Haryana government is offering a 45 percent subsidy from the state government besides the 30 percent central government subsidy. Thus any farmer who wants to install solar irrigation pumps under the scheme would be eligible for a total subsidy of 75 percent. The farmers, therefore, would have to pay only 25 percent of the total cost.

Under the centrally-sponsored scheme, the state offers solar pump connections between 3 horsepower (HP) and 10 HP. The detailed guidelines of the scheme said that for solar pumps in the range of 3HP to 7.5HP, the state would provide a 45 percent subsidy while the Union government would bear 30 percent of the total cost. However, for the 10 HP Pumps, the norms said that the Union government would bear 30 percent of the cost of pumps up to 7.5HP; however, the state would bear the balance of the user share and MNRE subsidy.

The norms said that individual farmers, water user associations, gaushalas, farmer-producer organizations, and primary agriculture credit societies could apply under the scheme. However, the norms have made special criteria for prioritizing the applicants.

It said that the top priority would be given to electric tubewell connection applications of discoms up to 10 HP, followed by MICADA applicants. It said that the balance applicants would be selected based on the approved parameters, including the income of the family and the extent of land holding. 

The norms also specified the 12 types of different capacity and category-wise pumps that would be made available under the scheme, which would range from 3000 watts to 9000 watts. It would be Direct Current (DC) submersible AC (Alternate Current) submersible. The norms said that one family could apply for only one connection.