Hyderabad: Telangana deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Tuesday, May 6, met Union minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi and urged the central government to allocate a large number of solar pump sets to Telangana. He also urged the Centre’s cooperation to strengthen the state government’s efforts in enhancing the agriculture sector.
The Telangana deputy chief minister submitted three key representations requesting the Union Minister to take necessary actions in line with Telangana’s requirements, said a press release from Bhatti Vikramarka.
The meeting was held with the centre as Telangana is implementing a robust action plan to strengthen its renewable energy sector in light of current and future agricultural power needs, including uninterrupted electricity supply, stated the release.
At the meeting the Telangana deputy chief minister submitted three major requests as part of his representation – to allocate 4,000 MW solar power plants under PM-KUSUM Component-A (capacity ranging from 500 KW to 2 MW), Request for allocation of 1 lakh solar pump sets under PM-KUSUM Component-B and Request for allocation of 2 lakh pump sets under PM-KUSUM Component-C.
“Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka requested that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) allocate 4,000 MW of solar power plants, with capacities ranging from 500 KW to 2 MW, to Telangana under PM-KUSUM Component-A, as previously decided. He informed the Minister that there were reports of this allocation being revised and reduced from 4,000 MW to 1,000 MW after a review during the MNRE’s EoI (Expression of Interest) period,” said the release.
The Telangana deputy CM stated that the one lakh solar pump sets are being sought to permanently find a solution for the agriculture sector in the state. During the meeting, Vikramarka told the Union Minister that Telangana has achieved the highest annual growth rate in agriculture in the country and has emerged as the “Rice Bowl of India” due to its impressive food grain production.
Highlighting the implementation of prestigious programs like ‘Rythu Bharosa’ (Farmer’s Assurance), te Telangana deputy CM emphasized that with the Centre’s support, the state could accomplish even greater feats in the agriculture sector.
