Stakeholders meet on Solar Pumps for Women

Ranchi, 16 November (H.S): A high-level stakeholder meet titled ‘Solar Pumps for Women: Strengthening the Energy, Water and Agricultural Nexus’ was organized today in the state capital. The meeting was organized by JREDA in collaboration with SwitchON Foundation under the PSR Programme supported by FCDO, Government of UK.

The Jharkhand State Renewable Energy Department (JREDA) has been actively working towards promoting standalone off-grid solar agricultural pumps under the PM KUSUM Yojna, launched in 2019. Under this program, the union ministry has set aside a target in 2019 to install 20 lakh standalone solar agricultural pumps across India.

The major aspiration has been to help farmers access reliable day-time solar power for irrigation, reduce power subsidies, and decarbonize agriculture. JREDA in this regard has taken an exemplary step of prioritizing the involvement of women in this mission, with an objective to empower women, farmers, as well as at the same time build awareness about the program. 10,000 solar pumps have been sanctioned for the year 2019-20 under the current program for Jharkhand. JREDA believes that the active involvement of women in this mission has worked out really well. As of now, it has created an environment where women champion as farmers alongside their male counterparts and feel empowered to do so.

Speaking at the event during the opening keynote address Hon’ble Director at JREDA, KK Verma said – ?There is an urgent need to shift the energy loads of the agricultural activities to solar energy, JREDA has been actively promoting this among the women farmers, who are certainly the ambassador of change for this revolutionary transition underway?. Adding to this he said ?Switching to Solar Pump makes more economic sense today than ever before and JREDA is committed to the installation of over 4 Lakh standalone off-grid solar pump?

As of today, 7 crore Indian women work in the agriculture sector and produce over 60-80% of the food ? while merely13% of the women have the rights over their assets. As per Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the agricultural yield would increase by 20-30% if women had the same resources as men.

Jharkhand Government efforts in this direction have therefore encouraged women to apply for the solar water pumps and thus help them in asset creation and ownership. The approach has created an innovative method to include particularly those women who do not have land in their name. These women can now do an affidavit and easily apply for solar pumps and those applications are to be treated with priority.

Delivering the closing keynote address at the event Shri. Udit Mathur, Energy Advisor from DFID heading the PSR Program said “There is a tremendous opportunity for a clean energy transformation within the agriculture sector today, we must take leverage of this wonderful opportunity in hand. By focussing on women’s awareness of the scheme and access to finance we can make the program more inclusive, thereby increasing uptake and unlocking multiple developmental co-benefits for women farmers?

The occasion was also attended by the champion women of the farmer community along with multiple stakeholders working on the PM KUSUM alongside JREDA

Vinay Jaju, MD SwitchON Foundation said ? ?We are extremely happy to work under the leadership of Govt of Jharkhand in promoting solar pumps, water conservation, and sustainable agriculture through the SEWA Network. where we want to create evidence from the ground through our various projects in collaboration with JREDA and other line departments to ensure marginal women farmers benefit across the state for sustainable development across Jharkhand.?