Govt pushing solar power to meet agri demands

New Delhi, Jan 18: Admitting that over 50 per cent of the country's net sown area remains unirrigated, the NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant said the government was pushing the unconventional sources of energy like Solar to provide irrigation facilities to the farmers.

Addressing the "National Dialogue on Solar For Irrigation in India" here on Thursday, Mr Kant said solar energy holds the potential to change irrigation access, advance low-carbon agriculture, reduce burden of electricity subsidies on the government, and improve resilience of farmers against a changing climate. 
He said, solar energy can play the pivotal role in changing the agricultural landscape of the country.
He said currently over 19 million electrical pumps and about 9-million diesel pumps were in operation in farming activities across the country,but they only irrigated half of the farms in the country.
To meet the demand, the government has deployed 1,42,000 solar pumps across the country on subsidised rates. 
He said, through this dialogue, government's objective of doubling farmers’ income and enhancing their purchasing capacity can be strengthened.
Mr Kant also released four reports on solar for irrigation in India during the event. UNI