By Sanjay Chaturvedi, PhD
Finance Minister has revealed the agenda of the Government by inserting and providing for Solar operated Pumps to generate energy. More than 20 lakhs farmers are going to use Solar Pumps. The Finance Minister said :
“In the Budget speech of July 2019, I had stated that “annadata” can be “urjadata” too. The PM-KUSUM scheme removed farmers’ dependence on diesel and kerosene and linked pump sets to solar energy. Now, I propose to expand the scheme to provide 20 lakh farmers for setting up stand-alone solar pumps; further we shall also help another 15 lakh farmers solarise their grid-connected pump sets. In addition, a scheme to enable farmers to set up solar power generation capacity on their fallow/barren lands and to sell it to the grid would be operationalized.”
Identifying the non cultivable land put to use to generate solar energy, Finance minister addedd:
Integrated farming systems in rainfed areas shall be expanded. Multi-tier cropping, bee-keeping, solar pumps, solar energy production in non-cropping season will be added. Zero-Budget Natural Farming (mentioned in July 2019 budget) shall also be included. The portal on “jaivikkheti” – online national organic products market will also be strengthened.