Farmers in Kanker in Chhattisgarh no longer depend on monsoon or electricity to irrigate their farmlands. Thanks to the government's Saur Sujala scheme, irrigation pumps get pumped with solar energy.
An official communication on Tuesday said the farmers are adopting modern farming methods to boost their income and improve their quality of life.
“Farmers living in even remote and inaccessible areas are getting a push to practice agriculture through the assistance provided by the administration and government," it said.
"They are now moving ahead toward a better lifestyle availing the benefits of various welfare schemes run by the state government.”
Adequate water is necessary for a good crop yield. The farmers of remote villages earlier faced difficulties in irrigating their fields due to lack of power supply.
To overcome the problem, solar-powered irrigation pumps are being installed in the fields, the communication said.
Hundreds of farmers now irrigate their fields with solar-powered pumps in the Koyalibeda development block, about 150 km from Kanker town.
Now issues of low voltage, power failure and hefty electricity bills don't bother them.
Priority is given to installing solar pumps in villages where it is not possible to supply electricity through poles. Farmer Parimal Bose said he has built a pond and installed a 5 horse power solar pump in his farm. He practices fish farming, earning an annual income of about Rs 3 lakh. He is also cultivating maize and irrigating his farmland with the help of a solar pump. This fetches him an income of about Rs 4 lakh per annum.