In Short : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced plans to provide solar irrigation pumps to 40,000 farmers over the next four years. The initiative aims to promote sustainable farming, reduce dependency on traditional energy sources, and improve agricultural productivity. This program aligns with the state’s commitment to clean energy and rural development.
In Detail : Bhopal – Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Thursday announced that his government will provide solar irrigation pumps to all 40,000 farmers in the state by next four years.
While addressing a press conference on the completion of the first year of his government, he said that solar irrigation pumps will make farmers independent of the grid and other issues, such as outages in the peak season due to overload or failure.
CM Yadav said the farmers often complain that irrigation power is supplied during odd night hours, but now, these pumps can be used during solar hours in the daytime.
Similarly, the state government has planned to provide solar pumps to households in urban areas, CM Yadav said.
“Besides being beneficial to the farmers, this step will eventually decrease the subsidy burden on the government in coming years. The state government spends around Rs 10,000 crore per annum on power subsidies in urban areas,” he said.
“At present, the state government spends more than Rs 25,000 crore annually on power subsidy. This amount will continue to increase in coming years. Once the farmers and households start using solar pumps, the government can use this amount for other sectors,” he added.
CM Yadav further stated that he has taken a pledge to double the state’s annual budget size in five years, and several steps have been taken to make it happen.
He claimed the results have started coming in as most departments have collected more revenue, compared to previous years.
The state’s annual Budget for the year 2024-25 was Rs 3,65,067 crore, and Mohan Yadav’s government has decided to achieve the target of around Rs 8,000 crore when he completes the five-year tenure of his government by November 2028.
