PM-KUSUM

PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan) is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, launched in 2019 with the objective of de-dieselising the farm sector, providing energy and water security to farmers, and adding solar capacity to India's renewable energy mix. It directly supports India's commitments under the Paris Agreement (2015) and the Nationally Determined Contributions, including the target of 500 GW non-fossil installed capacity by 2030 announced at COP26, Glasgow (2021). The scheme aims to add solar and other renewable capacity through decentralised, ground-mounted generation close to load centres, thereby reducing transmission losses and the subsidy burden of supplying free or subsidised power to agriculture.

The scheme operates through three components. Component A provides for the installation of decentralised, ground-mounted, grid-connected renewable power plants of capacity up to 2 MW each on barren, fallow or cultivable land of farmers, with the generated power purchased by DISCOMs at feed-in tariffs. Component B supports the installation of standalone solar agriculture pumps, replacing diesel pumps and enabling irrigation in unelectrified areas. Component C covers the solarisation of existing grid-connected agriculture pumps, allowing farmers to use solar power for irrigation and sell surplus power to DISCOMs. The funding pattern typically involves central financial assistance of 30%, a state subsidy of 30%, with the balance met by farmer contribution and bank financing, with higher central support for North-Eastern states, hilly states and island Union Territories. The scheme thus combines climate mitigation, farmer income enhancement (the "Annadata becomes Urjadata" idea) and rural electrification objectives.

The scheme's original target was around 30.8 GW of solar capacity by 2022, later revised and extended to 2026 with an enhanced sanctioned capacity of about 34.8 GW and a central financial outlay exceeding ₹34,000 crore. Implementation has been uneven across states — Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh have been among the more active under Components B and C, with the pump-solarisation components progressing faster than the grid-connected plant component (Component A). The scheme dovetails with related interventions such as KUSUM convergence with the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (2024) for rooftop solar, and feeder-level solarisation models. As of 2026 the scheme continues with extended timelines and revised guidelines to accelerate sanctioned capacity.

For the UPSC examination, PM-KUSUM is tested in the General Studies Paper III (economy — agriculture, energy, infrastructure) and General Studies Paper III environment segments, as well as in the Environment and Ecology and Geography optional/preparation areas. Prelims questions typically probe the implementing ministry (MNRE), the three components and their distinctions, and the funding pattern; a common trap is confusing PM-KUSUM with rooftop schemes like PM Surya Ghar. Mains questions frame it within renewable energy transition, farm distress and DISCOM finances, and decentralised solar generation. Candidates should be able to link the scheme to India's climate commitments, the dual goals of irrigation security and supplementary farmer income, and the practical bottlenecks of land availability, financing and DISCOM power-purchase capacity.