Deputy CM and state power minister Devendra Fadnavis has said work orders for the project have been issued and it will help more than halve the power purchase cost for distributing electricity to agricultural pumps. This, in turn, will reduce the cross-subsidy burden and tariff for industrial and commercial consumers in the coming months, while also lowering the govt subsidy burden by at least Rs 4,500 crore. “It is a sustainable roadmap for solarisation of the agriculture sector,” Fadnavis said. The massive escalation in power generation is being made possible through the state’s Mukhyamantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana-2.0, recognised by Centre as India’s first such solarisation project for agricultural pumps, said additional chief secretary (energy) Abha Shukla. The scheme is now being replicated in UP, Karnataka and Rajasthan.
