Farmers in Rajasthan will have access to electricity to irrigate crops during the day

Rajasthan Minister of State for Power Heeralal Nagar at a public hearing programme at Digod in his Sangod constituency over the weekend. Special arrangements.

Farmers in Rajasthan are set to get electricity to irrigate crops in their fields during the day, with the state government signing new deals to promote renewable energy. Despite long-term demand, electricity supply has been limited to nights due to the power crisis in the state.

Minister of State for Energy Heeralal Nagar said the state government’s efforts to increase power generation will ensure uninterrupted supply of daytime electricity to agricultural consumers by 2027. After issuance of letters of intent for 4,386 MW of projects under the Prime Minister’s KUSUM-C Yojana, a memorandum of understanding was signed for two gas-based power plants in Jaipur over the weekend.

Farmers have highlighted the difficulty of watering crops at night during several protest demonstrations across the state. While rabi and kharif crops are usually sown during the day, the power cut between 11 pm and 4 am forces farmers to stay up all night during inclement weather and exposes them to the risk of snakebites and poisonous insects.

Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam has signed an MoU with GAIL India Limited for shifting of 330 MW gas-fired power plants at Dholpur and 270.5 MW at Ramgarh through joint venture for their efficient operation at full capacity. While GAIL India Limited will supply gas in sufficient quantity for power projects at reasonable rates, new solar power projects of 750 MW and wind power projects of 250 MW will also be set up in the state.

Mr. Nagar said an investment of ₹4,200 crore will be provided through the MoU. “With the strong partnership between the power utilities of the Centre and the State, Rajasthan will soon become self-sufficient in energy and will play a major role in supplying electricity to other States as well,” he said.

The minister emphasised that the western region of Rajasthan has a lot of potential to generate huge amounts of solar energy. Since the state was getting “full support and guidance” from the Centre, within two months of the government being formed, MoUs worth ₹1.60 lakh crore were signed with reputed public sector undertakings like NTPC, Coal India, Power Grid, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam and Rural Electrification Corporation, Mr Nagar said.

The new agreements are expected to generate 31,825 MW of electricity in the near future and will strengthen the transmission and distribution system in the power sector. Mr. Nagar said the state is currently getting 1,000 MW of power from the Centre’s unallocated quota during the crisis, which has helped maintain uninterrupted supply to all categories of consumers.