Promotion of farming activities and increasing the farmer income has been one of the utmost priorities of the State Government led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Schemes like Mukhyamantri Pashudhan Vikas Yojna, Birsa Harit Gram Yojna, Mukhyamantri Krishi Rin Mafi Yojna and many more have been launched in this regard. In order to promote multi-crop farming, the administration is also working on several solar lift irrigation projects in different districts across the state.

In a bid to ensure irrigation facilities for the farmers throughout the year, the Latehar district administration has brought 1,000 acres of land under the solar lift irrigation facility, which has benefitted approximately 400 farming households in the district.

Latehar has been one of the most backward and economically weak districts of Jharkhand, the livelihood of a substantial part of the population is dependent on agriculture. A major part of farmland is used only during the rains for paddy crops. To find a sustainable irrigation solution, the administration has installed many solar lift irrigation pumps in the district to ensure the year-round availability of water for irrigation.

Each pump unit has a capacity of 5HP with a 5KW solar panel installed at a Pump House which covers 300 meters of an irrigation channel with the coverage of 10-12 acres of land. A total of 100 such units have been installed in the district which will cover an area of 1000 acres. Apart from this, to ensure the safety of the pump house, each pump unit has been insured against natural hazards and thievery.

Deputy Commissioner, Latehar Abu Imran said, “As per the vision of the Chief Minister, we are working on supporting our farmers and increasing their income. Latehar is a poor and one of the most backward districts of Jharkhand. A substantial part of the population is dependent on agriculture and due to the unavailability of modern irrigation facilities; farmers are able to yield only one crop a year. We are working on promoting multi-crop farming in the district. Towards the same, we have installed almost 100 solar pump units in the district for a lift irrigation facility covering over 1000 acres of land. After a feasibility study, we will install more such units in the coming time.”