Jalna (Maharashtra), Aug 19 (IANS) The Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme has come as boon for farmers in rural areas, with the solar pumps facilitating increased cultivation and helping farmers to avoid the damages caused due to rainfall shortage and electricity cuts.
Maharashtra’s Jalna is known as a drought-prone district, due to which farmers used to hesitate to experiment with new farming methods, as managing water usage for such experiments turned out to be difficult. Furthermore, due to severe daytime power supply issues, farmers were forced to visit their fields at odd hours of the night to irrigate their crops—a task that was both arduous and troublesome.
However, the PM-KUSUM has resolved this issue. The scheme has reduced the physical strain on farmers and made farm management significantly easier.
Bharat Shinde, a farmer from Antarwala village in Jalna, bought a 3-kilowatt solar pump under the PM-KUSUM scheme.
Speaking to IANS, Shinde, who has planned the cultivation of custard apple and sweet lime (mosambi) in this drought-prone region, said: “The solar pump made it possible to irrigate crops during the day itself despite electricity cuts, eliminating the need to make frequent trips to the field at night, solely for watering.”
Noting that this has made farming much more convenient, Shinde urged other farmers to avail the scheme as it would help them “get a good night’s sleep” and escape the frustration of electricity cuts.
“There has been a 15 to 20 per cent increase in the crops as the solar pump has helped to escape the damage caused due to shortage of rainfall and electricity cuts,” he added.
Equipped with modern technology, this solar pump can be operated — switched on and off — via a mobile phone.
With the elimination of the need to rush to the fields at odd hours for electricity and the newfound ease of efficient water management, Bharat Shinde expresses his deep gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central government for providing the benefits of the KUSUM Solar Scheme and connecting farmers with modern technology.
This technology-driven KUSUM Solar Scheme is transforming the lives of farmers in rural areas, making it easier for more and more of them to avail themselves of the scheme’s benefits and experiment with new approaches to traditional farming.
–IANS
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