Badal writes to PM, seeks 80% subsidy on solar pumps

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today sought intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for restoration of subsidy on solar pump for agriculture to 80 percent.

He urged Singh to direct the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in this regard.

In a letter to the prime minister, Badal said during the period 2000-01 and 2003-04, the Centre was providing subsidy for solar water pumps up to 80 percent of the total cost and the state had installed a record 1,850 solar pumps.

However, in 2004-05, the Centre reduced the subsidy for solar pumps to 30 percent of the installation cost and remaining cost to be borne by the farmer, which was very high.

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The chief minister said Punjab had more than a million agriculture pump sets and the power requirement for this sector was almost 25 percent of the total consumption in Punjab.

The decentralised generation and utilisation of solar energy in the agriculture sector for water pumping was the best option to promote the use of renewable energy which has long term benefits in terms of energy utilisation and sustainable development, he said.

The average size of an agriculture pump set in Punjab required about 5 KW capacity Solar Photovoltaic (SPV).

Badal said farmers could also meet partial load of the farm house when there was no demand for irrigation. The approximate cost for this system was Rs 4.5 lakh and with the present level of 30 percent subsidy, the farmer was unable to meet the balance 70 percent cost, which was not viable for him.

Badal said optimum utilisation of solar energy would not only boost the usage of renewable but also lead to far more efficient use of precious ground water.

He said this programme had huge potential through which solar energy could be harnessed in a decentralised manner for powering agricultural pumps.

Badal had taken up this issue with New Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah, when he had called on him a few days ago.

PTI