MNRE issues fresh advisory against fake websites for PM-KUSUM

While MNRE is taking action against those miscreants, it is advised that all potential beneficiaries and the general public be informed and avoid depositing money or sharing data on these websites, it added. Further, MNRE said news portals are also advised to check the authenticity of websites claiming to be registration portals for government schemes before publishing them on digital or print platforms.

The renewable energy ministry on Friday issued a fresh advisory against fraudulent websites claiming to be registration portal for PM-KUSUM scheme. "It is recently noticed that two new websites have recently cropped up illegally claiming (to be) registration portal for PM-KUSUM scheme," the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) said in a statement. According to the statement, the two websites are https://kusum-yojana.co.in and https://www.onlinekusumyojana.co.in. The miscreants behind these websites are potentially duping the general public and misusing data captured through these fake portals, it said. While MNRE is taking action against those miscreants, it is advised that all potential beneficiaries and the general public be informed and avoid depositing money or sharing data on these websites, it added.

Further, MNRE said news portals are also advised to check the authenticity of websites claiming to be registration portals for government schemes before publishing them on digital or print platforms. The administrative approval for Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme was issued by MNRE on March 8, 2019. Guidelines for implementation of the scheme were issued on July 22, 2019. The scheme provides for installation of solar pumps, solarization of existing grid-connected agricultural pumps and installation of grid connected renewable power plants. After the launch of the scheme, it was noticed that few websites cropped up claiming to be registration portal for the scheme.

To avoid any loss to the general public, MNRE had earlier issued advisories on March 18, 2019 and June 3, 2020, advising beneficiaries and the general public to refrain from depositing any registration fee and sharing their data on such websites. All stakeholders are hereby informed, by the ministry, that PM-KUSUM scheme is being implemented through Implementation Agencies in the respective states, the ministry said.

Details of such agencies are available on MNRE’s website www.mnre.gov.in. MNRE does not register beneficiaries under the scheme through any of its websites and therefore any portal claiming to be MNRE’s registration portal for the scheme is potentially misleading and fraudulent, it stated. Any suspected fraudulent website, if noticed by anyone, may be reported to MNRE, it said.

Information regarding eligibility and implementation procedure with regard to the scheme is available on MNRE’s website..