Aiming to reach the target of farmer’s doubling income by 2022, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evem Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) scheme will be expanded to cover 20 lakh farmers across the nation, said the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her Union Budget speech 2020 on Saturday. The Solar Pump Yojana which promises to fulfill the irrigation and water problems by providing a 60% subsidy to the farmer for setting up pump sets and tube wells was initially intended to cover 17.5 lakh farmers. Moreover, the scheme which was announced by former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during the Union Budget 2018-19, is all set to run diesel / electric pumps used for irrigation across the country with solar energy where farmers have to spend only 10% of the total expenditure.
RK Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and New and Renewable Energy said, “The new KUSUM is an expansion of the earlier scheme...It will not require any fresh approvals from the Cabinet until the existing targets are not met”.
As per reports, it took the Centre over a year to get the Cabinet’s approval for the same primarily because of the massive budgetary support required. It was initially proposed that this ₹1.44-lakh crore scheme would solarise every agricultural pump and replace all the grid-connected pumps with solar power over 10 years.
RK Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and New and Renewable Energy said, “The new KUSUM is an expansion of the earlier scheme...It will not require any fresh approvals from the Cabinet until the existing targets are not met”.
What’s Financial Aid?
The Centre is going to provide Rs. 10,000 crore for four years under the Solar Pump Yojana approved by the Cabinet. As per reports, the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) will borrow Rs. 6,000 crore for the first phase (lasting for a year) to fund the Centre’s contribution and IREDA Rs. 15,000 crore for the second phase that will last for a year.
The Budget has also decided to expand the ambit of the KUSUM scheme where it will now replace 15 lakh grid-connected pumps with solar pumps.
“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 barren land and sell it to the grid will be operationalized,” Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman said during her Budget speech.
An Initiative towards Farmer’s Welfare
“This is a major step forward in which farmers with barren land will be helped to set up solar power projects on their land, sell the power to the grid and make a living,” she added. On a per pump basis, the Centre will subsidize 30 per cent of the cost, the States would do the same, and 30 per cent of the amount will be offered a loan.
How to Apply for KUSUM Yojana
Kusum Yojana Online Application Procedure
The online procedure of Kusum Yojana has finally released. The farmers can easily apply for the Kusum Yojana through the following procedure specified below.
Access the Portal
Step 1: First, the farmers have to visit the official site of Kusum Yojana.
https://kusum.online/register/- (website is currently under maintenance and it will open soon)
Login to Portal
Step 2: Now, you can log in with the reference number on the homepage of the portal.
Step 3: After you have logged in to the portal, you can fill out the online application form to take the Kusum solar pump.
Apply for the Scheme
Step 4: The farmer has to click on the “Apply” button that is visible on the home page.
Registration Form
Step 5: Upon clicking on the apply button, the farmer will be taken to the registration page.
Step 6: The application form for the Kusum Yojana will be displayed on the screen as shown below:
Fill in the Right Credentials
Step 7: Now you need to enter all the requested details in the application form.
Step 8: Enter the details such as farmers' names, mobile numbers, e-mail address, and other information.
Submit the Application Form
Step 9: After completing all the details, the farmer must click on the submit button to complete the registration process.
Acknowledgment Number
Step 10: On submitting the application form, the farmer will receive the message stating “Successfully Registered”.
