Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahaabhiyan (KUSUM) scheme

 • The Union Government has announced Rs.1.4 lakh-crore Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahaabhiyan (KUSUM) scheme for promoting solar farming i.e. decentralised solar power production of up to 28,250 MW to help farmers. The Union Budget 2018-19 has allocated Rs. 48,000 crore for the scheme for the ten-year period.
About KUSUM scheme
• KUSUM scheme will start with building 10,000 MW solar plants on barren lands and providing 1.75 million off-grid agricultural solar pumps.
• It will provide extra income to farmers, by giving them an option to sell additional power to grid through solar power projects set up on their barren lands.
• It will help in de-dieselising the agriculture sector as India had about 30 million farm pumps that include 10 million pumps running on diesel.
Components
• Building 10,000 MW solar plants on barren lands
• Providing sops to DISCOMS to purchase the electricity produced,
• Solarising existing pumps of 7250 MW as well as government tube wells with a capacity of 8250 MW
• Distributing 17.5 lakh solar pumps
• To improve efficiency and reduce losses, the Union and the state governments will also be leveraging technology for 100% metering and doing away with any human interface in consumer-facing functions such as metering, billing and collection.
• The 60% subsidy on the solar pumps provided to farmers will be shared between the Centre and the States while 30% would be provided through bank loans. The balance cost has to be borne by the farmers.
• It will support States to meet the RPOs targets
• Provide water security to farmers through provision of assured water sources through solar water pumps – both off-grid and grid connected
• To fill the void in solar power production in the intermediate range between roof tops and large parks
Analysis
• The scheme will promote decentralised solar power production, reduce of transmission losses of discoms as well as provide support to improve financial health of DISCOMs by reducing subsidy burden to agriculture sector.
• The components of the scheme include building 10,000 MW solar plants on barren lands and providing sops to DISCOMS to purchase the electricity produced, ‘solarising’ existing pumps of 7250 MW as well as government tube wells with a capacity of 8250 MW and distributing 17.5 lakh solar pumps. In this way it will help to boost the country's emerging green economy.
• Hence, it will also promote energy efficiency and water conservation and provide water security to farmers.

By: Vishal