Srinagar, Dec 10 (KNO): The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on Wednesday informed the Lok Sabha that Jammu and Kashmir has installed 3,601 solar agriculture pumps under the Pradhan Mantri–Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme till November-30 of the ongoing fiscal.
The ministry said that J&K was sanctioned with 5,000 standalone off-grid solar pumps under Component-B of the scheme, of which 3,601 have been installed—making it one of the top Union Territories to show steady uptake in solar-based irrigation support for farmers.
The data according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) states that no solar power plants or feeder-level solarisation projects have been commissioned under Component-A or Component-C in the UT so far. “PM-KUSUM aims to reduce farmers’ dependence on diesel-based irrigation and provide assured daytime power supply through renewable energy.”
The ministry further stated that Central Financial Assistance (CFA) of 50 percent of the benchmark cost is provided to beneficiaries in Jammu & Kashmir—higher than the national norm of 30 percent due to its classification among special-category regions. “The UT government must contribute an additional 30 percent while the farmers bear the remaining cost. The scheme can also be implemented without the state share.”
Overall, the Centre has released Rs 7,106 crore in CFA nationwide under the scheme till November 2025, with the assistance aimed at helping farmers reduce input costs, improve irrigation reliability and enhance income through solar energy adoption—(KNO)