The Congress party criticised the Central government over the implementation of the PM-KUSUM initiative, which was launched in 2019 to boost the use of solar energy in agriculture across the country. Congress General Secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, highlighted the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy's recent report revealing significant shortcomings in the scheme's execution.

Ramesh noted that PM-KUSUM, introduced with much fanfare, has fallen short of its targets as it approaches its 2026 completion deadline. He shared several key metrics illustrating the scheme's underperformance:

- Promise: Installation of 10,000 MW decentralised solar power plants on agricultural land.
Reality: Only 256 MW has been installed, just 2.56% of the target.
- Promise: Installation of 14 lakh solar pumps.
Reality: 397,000 solar pumps have been installed, approximately 28% of the target.
- Promise: Solarisation of 3.5 million additional pumps.
Reality: Only 13,562 pumps have been solarised, 0.38% of the target.
Ramesh emphasised that the only metric showing any respectable progress is the installation of solar pumps. However, he pointed out that many of these installations have been concentrated in three states: Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. Notably, these states were governed by Congress or coalition partners for much or most of the 2019-2024 period.
Ramesh stressed the importance of transitioning to renewable energy sources for India's economic and environmental goals. He criticised the Modi government for its "cavalier" approach to implementing crucial schemes like PM-KUSUM, urging a more diligent and effective execution to meet the country's renewable energy targets.

(Source: ET)