PM-KUSUM: Maximising Productive Outcomes

Policy Dialogue | 26th August 2021 | 12:00 – 13:00 IST

With an estimated outlay of ₹34,035 Crore (~US$ 4.6 billion), Government of India’s flagship agri-solarisation program, ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Surakhsa evam Uthhaan Mahabhiyan’ (PM-KUSUM) is arguably the world’s largest such initiative. Launched in 2019, PM-KUSUM will target more than 2 million off-grid and 1.5 million grid-connected solar irrigation pumps, with a combined generation capacity of 30.8 GWp. The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), along with her partners, has been working with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) to support the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India in rolling out PM-KUSUM and help maximise its net positive returns for India. This (virtual) policy dialogue – part of India’s on-going ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations – will focus on surfacing challenges and opportunities in maximising the productive outcomes of PM-KUSUM. In particular, the session will launch the ‘Solar Irrigation Pump Sizing Tool’ – a decision support tool designed and developed specifically for PM-KUSUM, jointly by IWMI, CCAFS (CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security) and the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) with support from GIZ. A panel of key stakeholders and experts representing farmers, civil society and the solar pump industry, will discuss emerging opportunities with innovations like ‘Universal Solar Pump Controllers’.

For details, please contact: Punjan Patel (IWMI) [Punjan.Patel@cgiar.org]