Question : Water and Energy Security under PM-KUSUM

(a) whether Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) ensures water and energy security to farmers and enhance their income and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the target after expansion of scheme in Budget 2020-21 has been met till now and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether PM-KUSUM has been converged with Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) and Agriculture Infrastructure Fund and if so, the details thereof along with the projects/grants sanctioned under the convergence of the said three schemes;
(d) whether PM-KUSUM has been amended to include provisions for feeder level solarisation and if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the details of farmers benefited under PMKUSUM, State-wise including Pali district of Rajasthan?

THE MINISTER OF STATE (I/C) FOR NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY, POWER and MoS for SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
(SHRI R.K. SINGH)
(a)&(b) The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) helps in providing water and energy security to farmers and also enhances their income through installation of standalone solar pumps, solarization of existing grid-connected agricultural pumps and allowing farmers to install grid-connected solar power plants up to 2 MW on their barren/fallow land for selling power to the electricity distribution companies.
The target capacities under the three componets of PM-KUSUM Scheme after approval of expansion on 4.11.2020 are as under:
• Component-A: 10,000 MW of Decentralized Ground Mounted Grid Connected Renewable Power Plants.
• Component-B: Installation of 20 lakh standalone Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps.
• Component-C: Solarisation of 15 Lakh Existing Grid-connected Agriculture Pumps.
Based on the demand received from the states capacities for 2020-21 have been sanctioned and are at various stages of implementation.

(c) Department of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare is implementing Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) and “Per Drop More Crop” component under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PM-KSY). These instrument respectively focus on enhancing availability of financing to farm infrastructure and enhancing water use efficiency at farm level through Micro Irrigation systems. Directions have been issued to States to enable convergence of these instruments with PM-KUSUM Scheme. If a group of farmers organized as a self-help group/joint liability group/water user association (if same is registered as SHG or JLG)/cooperatives and similar other forms for availing benefit under Component ‘B’ and ‘C’ of the PM-KUSUM Scheme, they are also eligible for availing interest subvention facility of AIF. However, separate allocation of funds has not been made for convergence projects.
(d) Under Component-C of the PM-KUSUM Scheme provision of Feeder Level Solarisation included for which detailed guidelines were issued on 4.12.2020 and the same are available at www.mnre.gov.in.
In Feeder level solarisation, solar plants can be installed through RESCO/CAPEX mode for feeding power to single or multiple agriculture feeders for which Central Financial Assistance (CFA) @ 30% of the cost of solar power plant is provided considering the cost of solar power plant as Rs. 3.5 Cr/MW. There is provision of higher CFA of 50% in case of NE States, hilly states/UTs and Island UTs for implementation through CAPEX mode.

(e) The cumulative capacities sanctioned under the Scheme are given at Annexure and the same are under various stages of implementation. The state implementing agency of Rajasthan has reported installation of 76 standalone solar pumps under component-B of PM-KUSUM Scheme till 31.1.2021.
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