Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM)

What is PM-KUSUM?

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyaan (PM-KUSUM) is a scheme of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy that brings solar power into Indian agriculture in three different ways: solar plants on farm land, solar pumps for farmers with no grid connection, and solar panels attached to pumps that are already on the grid.

According to MNRE, PM-KUSUM aims to add 34,800 MW of solar capacity by March 2026 with total central financial support of Rs 34,422 crore, including service charges paid to implementing agencies.

The reason PM-KUSUM matters to an individual farmer is cost. Diesel pump sets are expensive to run and grid supply to agricultural feeders is often intermittent and rationed to night hours. A solar pump removes the fuel bill entirely and lets irrigation happen in daylight, and PM-KUSUM pays a large part of the capital cost.

Key objectives

• De-dieselise irrigation and cut the running cost of pumping water.
• Give farmers in off-grid areas a reliable daytime source of irrigation power.
• Create an additional income stream for farmers by letting them sell solar power to distribution companies.
• Reduce the agricultural power subsidy burden carried by state discoms.

Main features

• Three components, A for grid-connected plants on farm land, B for standalone solar pumps, C for solarising grid-connected pumps.
• Central financial assistance of 30% of benchmark cost under Components B and C, rising to 50% in North Eastern states, hilly states and island union territories.
• State subsidy of at least 30% on top of the central share.
• Farmer's own contribution of up to 40%, and as low as 20% in the special-category regions, with bank finance available for that share.
• Pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP under Component B.
• Implementation through state nodal agencies, with applications made on state portals linked from pmkusum.mnre.gov.in.

What are the three components of PM-KUSUM?

Component A, decentralised grid-connected solar plants

Component A targets 10,000 MW through solar plants of 500 kW to 2 MW built on farm land, barren land or fallow land. Eligible developers include individual farmers, groups of farmers, cooperatives, panchayats, Farmer Producer Organisations and Water User Associations. Power is sold to the distribution company at the feed-in tariff fixed by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission. The discom receives a performance-based incentive of Rs 0.40 per unit for a maximum of 5 years from the commercial operation date.

Component B; standalone solar pumps

Component B targets 14 lakh standalone solar agriculture pumps of capacity up to 7.5 HP, for individual farmers in off-grid areas. Central financial assistance is 30% of benchmark cost, or 50% in North Eastern states, hilly states and island union territories. The state adds a minimum 30%, so the farmer pays at most 40%, and about 20% in the special-category regions. Banks may finance the farmer's share.

Component C; solarisation of grid-connected pumps

Component C targets 35 lakh grid-connected agricultural pumps and works through two routes:

• Individual Pump Solarisation (IPS). A solar PV plant of capacity up to twice the pump capacity in kW is installed at the farmer's pump. The farmer uses the power for irrigation and can sell the surplus to the discom.
• Feeder Level Solarisation (FLS). An entire agricultural feeder is solarised with a single plant, rather than each pump individually.

Central financial assistance under Component C follows the same structure as Component B: 30%, or 50% in the special-category regions.

Who is eligible for PM-KUSUM?

You can apply if:

• You are an individual farmer with a valid land record and a usable water source, and your field has no grid electricity connection, this is the Component B case.
• You are a farmer with an existing grid-connected agricultural pump you want to solarise — this is Component C.
• You are a group of farmers, a cooperative society, a panchayat, a Farmer Producer Organisation or a Water User Association willing to develop a 500 kW to 2 MW plant on farm, barren or fallow land, this is Component A.
• Your state nodal agency has an open application window for the component you want.

You cannot apply if:

• You want a standalone solar pump under Component B but already have a grid-connected supply at the field. Component B is restricted to off-grid areas.
• You want Component C but have no existing grid-connected agricultural pump.
• You have no valid land ownership record for the installation site.
• Your state nodal agency's enrolment window is closed for that component. States open and close applications in batches against their sanctioned targets, so eligibility on paper is not the same as an open queue.
• You want a pump larger than 7.5 HP with central assistance under Component B.

What documents are required for PM-KUSUM?

Because PM-KUSUM is implemented by state nodal agencies, the exact document list varies by state. Treat the list above as the common core and check your state portal for additions.

How to apply for PM-KUSUM

1. Open the national portal pmkusum.mnre.gov.in and go to the State Nodal Agencies section.
2. Select your state and open the link to your state nodal agency's application portal. MNRE states that the national portal carries scheme information while applications are handled by the state agency.
3. Register on the state portal with your mobile number and Aadhaar, and verify the OTP.
4. Choose the component you are applying for, Component B for a standalone solar pump, Component C for solarising an existing grid-connected pump, or Component A for a grid-connected plant.
5. Fill the application with your land details, pump capacity required, and water source details, and upload the required documents.
6. Pay the farmer's share of the cost as demanded by the state agency, once your application is approved and a vendor is allotted.
7. The empanelled vendor installs and commissions the system, after which the state agency releases the central and state subsidy directly to the vendor.
8. Track your application through your login on the state portal.

How much does a PM-KUSUM solar pump cost the farmer?

The farmer's share depends on the region:

• General states: 30% central + minimum 30% state subsidy, so the farmer pays up to 40% of benchmark cost.
• North Eastern states, hilly states and island union territories: 50% central + state share, bringing the farmer's contribution down to about 20%.

MNRE notes that bank financing is available for the farmer's contribution under Components B and C, so the out-of-pocket outgo at installation can be smaller than the headline share.

The exact rupee figure depends on the benchmark cost notified for the pump capacity in the relevant year and on the tender rates discovered by your state nodal agency, which are frequently below benchmark. Ask your state agency for the current per-HP rate rather than working from a national average. The number genuinely differs by state and by tender round.

What are the deadlines for PM-KUSUM?

PM-KUSUM's capacity target of 34,800 MW was originally set against March 2026. MNRE has since extended the project completion deadline to 31 March 2027 for projects where the power purchase agreement or letter of award was signed by 31 December 2025, giving implementing agencies more time to finish installations. Within the scheme, each state nodal agency runs its own enrolment windows against its sanctioned target, and those windows open and close through the year. There is no single national last date that applies to every farmer, so the operative deadline for you is the one published by your state nodal agency.

As a measure of scale, MNRE data reported for the period up to April 2026 showed about 10.9 lakh standalone solar pumps installed under Component B against a sanctioned target of roughly 13.07 lakh, and 1,202 MW commissioned under Component A against the 10,000 MW target, so Component B is far closer to saturation than the grid-connected plant component, and a farmer applying now is more likely to find an open queue under Component A or C.

Common reasons PM-KUSUM applications fail

• Applying for Component B on land that already has a grid connection: Component B is only for off-grid areas.
• Land record in a different name from the applicant, with no succession or partition record to bridge the gap.
• Applying after the state's window closed or after the state target was exhausted.
• No usable water source at the site, where the state requires bore well or water source proof.
• Farmer share not paid within the time limit set by the state agency after provisional selection, which causes the allotment to lapse.

Help and grievance redressal for PM-KUSUM

• PM-KUSUM toll-free helpline: 1800-180-3333
• National portal: pmkusum.mnre.gov.in. This is the only official national portal for the scheme
• State nodal agency helpdesk for application status, vendor allotment, installation delays and subsidy release
• Ministry of New and Renewable Energy website, mnre.gov.in, for the comprehensive implementation guidelines and component-wise details

Applying under PM-KUSUM is free. Several fraudulent websites and agents collect "registration fees" for solar pump subsidy, the Government of India runs only pmkusum.mnre.gov.in and the state nodal agency portals linked from it, and no payment is due before your application is approved and a vendor is allotted.