The big ticket Rs 1.4 lakh crore KUSUM scheme to promote the use of solar power among farmers will be implemented from next month, renewable energy minister R K Singh said today.
Recounting the government's achievements in the last 4 years, he exuded confidence that 4 crore families targeted under the SAUBHAGYA scheme would get electricity connections by December, ahead of the March 2019 deadline.
"The KUSUM (Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahaabhiyan) will be implemented in July. Under this scheme farmers would be provided with solar water pumps," the minister of power and new & renewable energy said at a press conference.
Under the scheme, the government has planned to provide 27.5 lakh solar pumps (17.50 lakh standalone + 10 Lakh Grid-connected).
It will help farmers install total 10 GW of Solar Power Plants of intermediate capacity of 0.5 to 2 MW each. It also envisages 50,000 Grid-connected tube-wells/lift irrigation and drinking water projects.
Singh also gave assurance about bringing the hydro power policy and expressed hope to roll out the Rs 16,000 crore plan for beleaguered hydro power capacities in the country.
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A senior official said that both big ticket programmes are at advance stages of approval by the Union Cabinet and may get go ahead in July this year.
On the stressed assets he informed that a consortium of lender led by State Bank of India has short listed 11 such plants with over 12GW under Samhadhan or the Scheme of Asset Management and Debt Change Structure to sell or takeover these plants to avoid liquidation.
On the achievements of his government, Singh said: "Last four years have been path breaking. You compare it with what happened in last 48 years. I asked my ministries to compare the 48 years and our 4 years. The comparison was an eye opener."
He said: "In the 48 years before 2014, the pace of capacity addition in generation was about 4,800 MW per year. In our 48 months, the pace of capacity addition was about 24000 MW per year. That is 4.8 times more. We added One lakh MW of generation capacity in four years."
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