The government is considering extending the deadline of PM-Kusum Yojana again as many components of this scheme have not been able to meet even half of the set target. The aim of this scheme, started in 2019, is to make farmers energy self-reliant through solar energy, but till now many of its goals are incomplete.
The PM-KUSUM scheme has three main components: Component-A which involves setting up small solar power plants, Component-B which involves installing off-grid solar agriculture pumps, and Component-C which involves connecting grid-connected agriculture pumps to solar energy. Component-B has completed 71 percent of its target by September 2025, but progress on Component-A has been only 6.5 percent. Some states have not yet done any installation, due to which the progress of the scheme at the state level remains uneven.
The progress of the plan has slowed down due to the Covid-19 pandemic, due to which the deadline was extended till March 2026. Now the government is again considering extending the deadline so that all the set targets can be achieved. With this expansion the objectives of the scheme were also increased. However, so far no component of the scheme has achieved 100 per cent of the target.
Under this scheme, efforts are being made to provide clean and affordable energy to farmers for irrigation by using solar energy, so that their dependence on electricity and diesel can be reduced. With this step of the government, both increase in income of farmers and environmental protection will be possible. Extending the deadline will provide additional time to all stakeholders involved in the implementation of the scheme to take necessary steps to meet the target.
In view of the slow progress in the field of solar energy, this step is considered important for the success of the scheme, so that farmers can get better facilities and opportunity for energy-rich farming. This initiative of the government will be a big help for the farmers in the direction of clean energy and will prove helpful in getting the country out of the energy crisis.