North News
Chandigarh, January 7
Punjab’s New and Renewable Energy Sources Minister Aman Arora announced on Tuesday that 663 additional solar water pumps will be installed for agricultural use within the next 120 days. The move aims to accelerate the decarbonization of the state’s agricultural sector. Arora handed over the work order to M/s. AVI Renewables Energy Pvt. Ltd. for the installation of these pumps and revealed that a previous work order for 2,356 solar pumps had been issued last month.
The minister urged officials from the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) to make all-out efforts to meet the state’s target of installing 20,000 solar pumps to support farmers. The pumps will be provided to farmers with a 60% subsidy for general category applicants and an 80% subsidy for Scheduled Caste (SC) farmers. The solar pumps will have capacities of 3, 5, 7.5, and 10 HP, and will be installed in regions with over-exploited groundwater. The initiative targets farmers with existing micro-irrigation systems like drip or sprinkler setups.
Arora highlighted that the solar pumps would reduce fuel costs, eliminate carbon emissions, and allow farmers to irrigate during the daytime, eliminating the need for night-time visits to farms.
Present at the event were PEDA Director M.P. Singh, Joint Director Rajesh Bansal, and representatives from the firm.
