Mizoram Looks Towards Centre to Fund Solar Water Pumps

An official statement from the State Government of Mizoram has revealed that the State has asked for funding from the Central Government for solar water pumps. The pumps are to assist the farmers of the State and help provide water for farm irrigation.

The statement held that last week, the Agriculture Minister C Lalrinsanga had met the Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) RK Singh in New Delhi. The two ministers held discussions about solar powered pumps for Mizoram. Considering the fact that Mizoram is one of the remotest States in India, C Lalrinsanga informed RK Singh that solar pumps shall be the best option for the farmers of Mizoram.

The  Mizoram minister held that water pumps operating on solar power will be feasible for the farmers of the North-Eastern state. According to reports, RK Singh informed Lalrinsanga that he would discuss the funding with Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Minister for Finance, to measure the possibilities. RK Singh could also visit Mizoram in near future.

As per reports, Lalrinsanga also has a meeting with Secretary, Jal Shakti, Pankaj Kumar in relation to the release of Rs 588.40 lakh as the second installment of project 13 under the Groundwater Irrigation Project PMKSY or ‘Har khet ko pani.’

In December, 2020, Mizoram had commissioned its first solar power plant – a 2 MW capacity solar system – at Tlungvel in Aizawl district. The project was built with a cost of Rs 14 crores over an area of 5 acres.

A 20 MW solar power plant is currently under construction at Vankal in Khawzawl district in southern Mizoram besides a 5 MW solar plant in Saitual town.

A few years ago, the Mizoram government had also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sungevity Enterprises, a solar power service developer, to set up a Rs. 630 crore 100 MW solar power plant.

Being a Himalayan state, Mizoram also has a strong potential of 4,000 MW of hydropower generation, according to its Power Minister. Currently, Mizoram has to purchase most of its electricity from other States and is now looking to expand the renewable sources of energy including hydropower to overcome the situation.