Prime Minister Narendra Modi is considering a proposal to run agricultural machinery on solar power under the next phase of the PM KUSUM scheme. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said the plan aims to reduce fossil fuel use. The government wants to boost clean energy in farming and increase overall mechanisation.
The proposed scheme will expand beyond solar-powered irrigation pumps to cover agricultural equipment, as India looks to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and boost clean energy use in farming.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is considering a proposal to run agricultural machinery on solar power under the next phase of the government's PM KUSUM scheme, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said.
Speaking at the 31st CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, Joshi said the proposed PM KUSUM 2.0, which is expected to be launched shortly, would extend solar power adoption beyond irrigation pumps to other agricultural equipment.
The existing PM KUSUM scheme focuses on promoting solar-powered agricultural pumps and reducing farmers' dependence on conventional electricity and diesel-based irrigation systems.
The proposed expansion comes as India looks to increase farm mechanisation while reducing the energy costs and emissions associated with agricultural operations.
According to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), India's farm power availability stood at 3.126 kW per hectare in 2024. The estimate takes into account power available from human labour, animals, tractors and engines.
The government estimated India's overall agricultural mechanisation level at 45% in 2025. Mechanisation varied considerably across farming activities, reaching 70% for seed-bed preparation, compared with 40% for sowing and planting, 33% for weeding and inter-culture operations, and 34% for harvesting and threshing.
PM Surya Ghar scheme to accelerate rooftop solar adoption
Joshi also said the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana had covered 66 lakh households so far. The government expects the programme to accelerate its rollout, reaching one lakh households every five days, with the aim of covering one crore households by the end of the financial year.
India has already crossed 312 GW of renewable energy capacity and is on track to achieve its target of 500 GW of clean energy capacity by 2030, the minister said.
Minister urges consumers to use more electricity during solar hours
Joshi stressed that India would need to separate economic growth from rising emissions as its energy requirements increase.
He called for changes in consumer behaviour, urging households to operate electricity-intensive appliances such as washing machines and charge electric vehicles during daylight hours, when solar power generation is higher.
Shifting more electricity consumption to solar hours could reduce the need to rely on coal-fired power plants to meet demand, he said.