The State Government has issued notification for installing solar pumps for agriculture purposes.
Madhya Pradesh Energy Development Corporation (MPEDC) Chairman Vijendra Sisodia and Managing Director Manu Shrivastava while addressing the media persons here on Tuesday informed that following Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s announcement, this decision has been taken.
They told that the main aim of this scheme is to make arrangements of irrigation in those places where electricity is not available, to save the farmers from the financial burden, to bring down the number of temporary connections provided by the power companies for irrigation and to reduce the pollution that takes place due to diesel pumps, besides, increasing the irrigation area of the state to increase the productivity, to promote high priced horticulture crops to make farmers competent and to conserve the ground water level through skilled irrigation techniques.
This scheme would be implemented in those far flung areas of the state where power companies could not develop electrical infrastructure and temporary connections are not available for agricultural pumps.
Preference would be given to implement the scheme in groups and clusters. For installing solar pumps up-to 3 HP grants of 90 per cent would be provided and grant for pumps from 3 to 5 HP would be 85 per cent while grant for pumps over 5 HP would only be state grant and fixed central part.
Though this scheme farmers can increase their agricultural production besides increasing commercial and other profits to make agriculture a profit making business. The solar pumps installed under the scheme would have warranty of five years with five years free maintenance.
A Separate portal www.mpcmsolarpump.com has also been prepared for implementation of this scheme. Online applications could be made through this portal from April 15 to May 15 2017.