Haryana witnessed significant growth in agriculture with the adoption of the latest technologies, including solar irrigation pumps, the state government said on Sunday.

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, the state government is consistently encouraging farmers to adopt the latest farm technology to increase the farm sector output.

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To bring solar energy in the field of agriculture, the Energy Department and the New and Renewable Energy Department have set new dimensions in the field of electricity and renewable energy, an official statement said.

Following the same path, the state government has done commendable work in channelising solar energy in the field of agriculture.

Haryana now becomes the second state in the country after Gujarat which has promoted solar energy with the operation of solar water pumps in the promotion of micro-irrigation under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Utthan Mahabhiyan (PMKUSUM).

There are about 80 lakh acres of cultivable land in the state, out of which, 75 per cent area is irrigated. The rest of the land has to depend on rain for irrigation.

By installing the solar pumps, diesel will be saved for the farmers and income will also increase, the statement said.

The government is giving 75 per cent subsidies on solar pumps and farmers have to spend 25 per cent of the amount. There was little work done in the field of solar energy in the state and only 492 solar pumps were installed until 2014.

The present government took it seriously and prepared a roadmap to promote solar energy in the state. In its first phase, a target of installing 50,000 solar pump sets has been set and in the last seven years, 25,897 solar pump sets have been installed, read the statement.

The state government has set a target for the year 2021-22 to provide 22,000 solar tubewell connections, out of which 15,000 connections have been provided and the remaining will be provided by March.

One inspiring story is of Sumitra Devi, who is a beneficiary of the PM Kusum scheme. By availing of the benefits of this scheme, she has not only increased crop production but is also setting an example for many other farmers in the state.

Devi hails from Mahendragarh district and has got a solar pump installed for irrigation of a five-acre land in Bhagadhana village. And now, she uses it for the cultivation of various crops such as millets and pulses, etc.

Sharing her success story, Devi says, “As the running cost of a diesel pump is very high, I used to cultivate only one crop. Then I got to know about the PM-Kusum scheme, through which the Centre and state governments are providing 75 per cent subsidy to install the solar pumps. I applied for it and got a 10 AC HP submersible pump installed in my farm.”

“Now I can cultivate more than one crop and irrigate the fields in the daytime. Besides, there is no cost of running it and the maintenance cost of the solar pump is negligible. I am very satisfied with the installation of the pump,” she added.