Economy GS 3 In the news 12 times

PM-KUSUM Scheme

Solarising Indian Agriculture

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) is the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy's flagship scheme to expand solar capacity in the agriculture sector, reduce farmers' dependence on diesel and grid power, and give them an additional income source by allowing sale of surplus solar power to the grid.

Key details

Launched in 2019 by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE); target is 34,800 MW of solar capacity by March 2026 with central financial support of about ₹34,422 crore
Three components: Component A — 10,000 MW of decentralised ground/stilt-mounted grid-connected solar plants (500 kW–2 MW) on barren or fallow farmland; Component B — installation of 14 lakh standalone solar agriculture pumps (0.5–7.5 HP), replacing diesel pumps; Component C — solarisation of 35 lakh existing grid-connected agriculture pumps, including feeder-level solarisation, with surplus power sold to DISCOMs at a feed-in tariff
Subsidy structure: central financial assistance of up to 30% (up to 50% for some categories/states), with state subsidy and bank finance covering most of the remainder so farmer contribution is typically kept low
A newer iteration (PM-KUSUM 2.0) adds a dedicated agrivoltaics component targeting roughly 10 GW of stilt-mounted solar capacity on farmland, formally recognising crop-solar co-location within the scheme framework

In the news

● Tracked since March 01, 2026 · last seen September 09, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes

09 Sep '26

PM-KUSUM 2.0 Signalled: Next Phase of the Solar-Agriculture Scheme

Economics

29 Aug '26

PM-KUSUM and the Push for Solar-Powered Irrigation in Indian Agriculture

Economics

23 Aug '26

Agrivoltaics in India: Solar Power and Farming on the Same Land

Environment & Ecology

19 Aug '26