For most Indian farmers, irrigation is the costliest and most stressful part of farming. Diesel to run a pump is expensive and its price keeps rising. Grid electricity, where it reaches, often arrives only at night or in unreliable bursts. Either way, watering the field eats into whatever the harvest earns.

PM-KUSUM — the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyaan — is built to fix exactly this. It helps farmers put up solar water pumps at a fraction of the cost, run them for free off sunlight, and in some cases even earn money by selling surplus solar power back to the grid. This guide breaks down its three parts in plain language and shows you how to apply.

The Simple Idea

Sunlight is free, and a farmer's field usually has open land and plenty of it. PM-KUSUM turns that sunlight into irrigation and income in three ways ("components"):

  • Component A — set up small solar power plants (up to 2 MW) on barren or fallow farmland and sell the electricity to the local power company, earning the landowner a steady rent/income.
  • Component B — install stand-alone solar pumps for farms with no grid connection, so you irrigate off the sun instead of diesel.
  • Component C — solarise existing grid-connected pumps, so the farmer runs the pump on solar by day and can sell the extra power back to the grid for income.

For the ordinary farmer, Component B (a new solar pump) and Component C (solar on your existing pump) are the ones that matter most.

60%
Of a solar pump's cost typically covered by central + state subsidy
Source: Ministry of New & Renewable Energy
₹0
Running cost of a solar pump — no diesel, no electricity bill
Source: MNRE, PM-KUSUM
14 Lakh
Stand-alone solar pumps targeted under Component B
Source: MNRE, 2025
₹34,422 Cr
Central support committed to the scheme
Source: Ministry of New & Renewable Energy

How Much You Pay — and Save

For a solar pump under Component B or C, the cost is usually split roughly like this:

  • 30% central government subsidy
  • 30% state government subsidy
  • Around 40% from the farmer — and much of that 40% can be taken as a bank loan, so your upfront cash can be as little as 10% or so, depending on your state.

In the North-Eastern states, hilly states, and island UTs (like Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal, Uttarakhand, and the North-East), the central subsidy is higher — 50% — so the farmer pays even less.

The bigger saving is ongoing: once the solar pump is installed, it runs for free on sunlight for 20-plus years. The diesel or electricity you were paying every season simply disappears. And under Component C, the surplus power your panels make can be sold to the grid, turning your pump into a small source of income.

How to apply — start here
Apply through your State's PM-KUSUM / renewable energy portal
PM-KUSUM is delivered by each State Nodal Agency (usually the state renewable energy development agency, e.g. HAREDA, MEDA, PEDA, or your state's DISCOM). The simplest route: search "PM-KUSUM [your state]" or start at the national scheme page on myscheme.gov.in and the MNRE site mnre.gov.in, which link to your state's application portal. You will typically need your Aadhaar, land records (khatauni/ proof of the field), a bank account, and a passport photo. Register online, pick the pump capacity suited to your land, pay your share (with a loan if needed), and an empanelled vendor installs and maintains the pump. If online is hard, your local agriculture office, DISCOM office, or Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) can guide you and tell you which portal and which vendors apply this season in your district.

Choosing the Right Pump

Solar pumps come in sizes (measured in HP — horsepower, commonly 3 HP, 5 HP, 7.5 HP). Match the pump to your land size and water depth — a bigger pump than you need just costs more. Ask the state agency or KVK to recommend a capacity for your borewell depth and acreage. Insist on a pump from the state's empanelled vendor list, which comes with a warranty and maintenance (usually five years) — do not buy an unlisted pump chasing a slightly lower price, as you lose the subsidy and the guarantee.

Before your next irrigation season

If you irrigate with a diesel pump or an unreliable grid line, a PM-KUSUM solar pump can cut your irrigation cost to almost nothing for the next 20 years — with the government paying around 60% of the price and a bank loan covering much of the rest. Search "PM-KUSUM [your state]" or ask at your KVK or DISCOM office this week, get your Aadhaar, land record, and bank account ready, and register on your state portal. Free sunlight instead of costly diesel, season after season, is one of the biggest lasting savings available to an Indian farmer today.

What You Can Do

  • Find your state's portal: search "PM-KUSUM [your state]", or start at myscheme.gov.in / mnre.gov.in.
  • Get documents ready: Aadhaar, land record (khatauni/field proof), bank account, photo.
  • Ask for the right pump size for your land and borewell depth at your KVK or DISCOM — don't over-buy.
  • Use only empanelled vendors so you keep the subsidy, warranty, and free maintenance.
  • Consider Component C if you already have a grid pump — solarise it and sell surplus power back to the grid for income.
  • Use a bank loan for your share if upfront cash is tight — the saved diesel/electricity cost usually more than covers the EMI.

Irrigation should not be the thing that eats your profit. PM-KUSUM turns the sun over your own field into free water — and sometimes a second income. If you run a pump, it is worth a serious look this season.

Sources