Reported by Mrinal Banik
Agartala: Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath on Friday asserted that the increasing use of solar energy and its proper utilisation are helping farmers adopt multi-cropping on croplands that generally produce only one or two crops a year.
Speaking after the governing body meeting of the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency, the Minister said that as many as 4,000 kanis of cropland had been brought under irrigation through the installation of solar-powered pumps.
“So far, we have installed 5,000 solar pumps against a target of 10,000 and covered 4,000 kanis of land under irrigation. This has become possible because of the PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan) scheme of the Central government. Funds have been allocated under this scheme for the installation of pumps,” Nath said.
Elaborating on the benefits of the scheme, Nath said, “The croplands that used to produce crops once or twice a year now produce crops throughout the year. I have personally spoken to several beneficiary farmers who have praised the scheme. One of the farmers told me that his agricultural land does not remain empty throughout the year, and this has become possible because irrigation facilities could be extended to his field.”
In addition, under the PM-DevINE scheme, solar microgrids are being installed free of cost in villages without electricity, along with drinking water systems.
“These projects are being sanctioned primarily for remote villages that are geographically inaccessible, and where reaching them through the traditional power grid becomes challenging due to difficult terrain,” he added.
Nath stressed that “everything now depends on electricity and solar,” underscoring the government’s vision of a clean energy future.
“All department headquarters, important office buildings, and district headquarters are installing solar panels on their rooftops, and in the present meeting, it has been decided that solar panels will also be installed in all Zilla Sabhadhipati offices,” Nath said.
