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Karnataka's 'Surya Raitha' Experiment Lessons for PM-KUSUM
Journal
Economic and Political Weekly
ISSN
00129976
Date Issued
2021-11-27
Author(s)
Durga, Neha
Shah, Tushaar
Verma, Shilp
Manjunatha, A. V.
Abstract
Solar-powered irrigation has expanded in India at an unprecedented pace-the number of solar irrigation pumps-from less than 4,000 in 2012 to more than 2,50,000 by 2019. It has been argued that besides giving farmers an additional and reliable source of income, grid-connected SIPs also incentivise efficient energy and water use-critical for sustaining groundwater irrigation. The Surya Raitha scheme was the country's first, state-driven initiative for solarisation of agriculture feeders by replacing subsidy-guzzling, inefficient electric pumps with energy-efficient, net-metered SIPs. An early appraisal of Surya Raitha lauded the scheme as a smart initiative and argued that it could set an example for promoting solar power as a remunerative crop. However, the scheme was eventually executed as a single feeder pilot with some design changes in Nalahalli panchayat from 2015-18. The authors visited the pilot in 2017-18 and 2018-19 to assess if it had delivered the promises of Surya Raitha scheme. The results are a mixed bag and offer important lessons for implementation and scaling out of component C of the Government of India's Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan policy.
Volume
56