Power Minister K J George discussed Senior Officials the need for solar irrigation pumps for agriculture. Solar pumps will also help develop the state’s long-term energy security, reduce the burden on the farmers and promote ecologically sustainable growth by reducing carbon footprint.
The Minister also stressed the many advantages of using solar-powered pumps to the farmers. Besides offering a reliable energy source to the farmers, solar pumps offer a cost-effective and environment-friendly alternative for irrigation.
The Minister added that Karnataka is actively working towards reducing its dependence on fossil fuels and promoting cleaner energy sources.
The adoption of solar-powered irrigation will not only help reduce the burden of over Rs 1 lakh crore towards electricity subsidy for agriculture but also reduce oil import bill by reducing diesel consumption by 1.38 billion litres per annum as per Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE).
The solar pumps are currently deployed either through the central government-led PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan) scheme or under state schemes.
