National
Subsidies alone will not scale up solar pumps: CEEW
New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS) A subsidy-led approach alone may not achieve the target of one million solar pumps by 2021 and the government must target marginal farmers, an independent study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) said on Thursday.
Farmers who do not possess electric pumps should be targeted with smaller solar pumps as they would find solar pumps attractive at even 30 per cent subsidy, provided affordable financing is available, said the report released at the national dialogue on ‘Solar for Irrigation in India’.
The CEEW research, based on a primary survey of 1,600 farmers across ten districts in Uttar Pradesh, found that farmers using electric pumps were dissatisfied due to unreliable power supply, depleting water tables and high expenditure on diesel.
The study said that 40 per cent of these farmers, especially diesel pump owners, were willing to switch to solar pumps to avail benefits such as zero operational costs, ease of use throughout the day and cost savings on diesel.
“However, only a subsidy-led approach may not be sufficient to achieve the government target of one million solar pumps by 2021. A 30 per cent capital subsidy on one million solar pumps would entail an outlay of nearly Rs 135 billion, twice the annual budget of New and Renewable Energy Ministry,” it said.
Delivering the keynote address at the event, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said that access to reliable and affordable irrigation was “one of the most important enablers to increase agricultural productivity and incomes for farmers”.
“Solar pumps can strengthen Indian agriculture by fulfilling unmet irrigation needs while reducing the burden of subsidies on the government and increasing farmers’ resilience to climate change.
“To scale up solar pumps, we must strive to create bottom-up demand by focusing on technology demonstration and raising awareness levels among farmers,” Kant said.
In India, 1,42,000 solar pumps have been deployed till date. More than 50 per cent of the solar pumps have been deployed in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
Abhishek Jain, Senior Programme Lead at CEEW, said that to scale up solar pumps, the government must adopt context-specific deployment strategies, improve targeting of its subsidies, adopt a customer-centric approach, work with enterprises to bring down costs of the pumps, and focus on improving awareness about the technology.
“In Uttar Pradesh, we found that only 27 per cent farmers had heard of solar pumps, less than 15 per cent had seen a solar pump in reality or on television, and only two per cent had heard of government schemes related to solar pumps.
“Deploying five solar pumps in each block of the country, prioritising areas with good groundwater situation, would have a significant demonstration effect on farmers to generate bottom-up demand for the technology,” he said.
Despite the existing 19 million electrical pumps and about nine million diesel pumps, 53 per cent of India’s net sown area remains unirrigated.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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