Congress Criticizes PM-KUSUM Implementation

The Congress has criticized the Modi government for its poor implementation of the PM-KUSUM initiative, aimed at increasing agricultural use of solar energy. Launched in 2019, the scheme has vastly underperformed its targets for solar power plant installations and solar pump setups, prompting calls for better execution.

The Congress on Sunday criticized the Centre over the lackluster implementation of the PM-KUSUM initiative, launched in 2019 to boost agricultural solar energy use across India. The scheme's underwhelming progress was labeled as 'cavalier' by party officials.

Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, pointed to 'startling facts' revealed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The scheme, heralded with 'great fanfare,' has fallen significantly short of its 2026 targets, he noted in a recent social media post.

'The 2024 update shows only 2.56% of the promised 10,000 MW decentralized solar power plants have been installed on agricultural land,' Ramesh said. 'Similarly, just 28% of the promised 14 lakh solar pumps and a mere 0.38% of the 35 lakh additional solarized pumps have been completed,' he added.

Ramesh blamed the subpar rollout partly on the concentration of installed pumps in single-party governed states like Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. He also emphasized that energy transition to renewable sources is crucial for India's economy and climate resilience. His critique called for more robust execution from the Modi administration.

(With inputs from agencies.)