Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah chaired a high-level review meeting on the progress of the Kusum-B scheme, emphasizing timely implementation and expansion of solar irrigation infrastructure for farmers across the state.
Under the Kusum-B scheme, farmers are eligible to receive 80% subsidy for installing solar-powered agricultural pump sets — with 30% funded by the Centre, 50% by the State, and the remaining 20% to be borne by the beneficiary.
During the meeting, CM Siddaramaiah instructed officials to expedite the implementation of the approved 40,000 solar pump sets. An additional 25,000 farmers have submitted applications under the scheme, prompting the State Government to earmark ₹752 crore towards its execution. The CM noted that once the scheme is efficiently implemented, the overall subsidy burden will decrease.
The government is also focusing on bringing unauthorized irrigation pump sets under regulation. Of the 4.5 lakh illegal IP sets, nearly 2 lakh have been regularized. Discussions are underway to prioritize the remaining unregistered IP sets under the Kusum-B rollout.
The scheme will also empower farmers to establish their own power sources, with the Energy Department providing transformers to facilitate connectivity.
For the 2024–25 fiscal, the government has allocated ₹12,785 crore for irrigation pump sets, of which ₹11,720 crore has already been disbursed by February 2025. In the upcoming 2025–26 financial year, the allocation is set to rise to ₹16,021 crore.
The meeting was attended by Energy Minister KJ George, Political Secretary to the CM Naseer Ahmed, and senior government officials. The CM reiterated the importance of promoting clean energy in agriculture and ensuring direct benefit to farmers through decentralised solar solutions.
