Raipur . Chhattisgarh's Solar Sujala Yojana is proving to be a boon for farmers in forest areas like Narayanpur and Bastar. Under this scheme, farmers are getting solar pumps at subsidized rates without worrying about electricity bills or power cuts, enabling them to harvest two to three crops a year even on barren tikra lands. In the remote forest and inaccessible areas of Chhattisgarh, where access to electricity was once a distant dream, the "Solar Sujala Yojana" has brought a new dawn of hope. This scheme, run by the CREDA department in the forest and unelectrified areas of Narayanpur district, has brought about a historic and revolutionary change in the lives of farmers holding forest rights leases.
Freedom from the hassle of electricity bills and power cuts: Perennial irrigation reaches the fields
Overcoming the district's difficult geographical conditions, the state government has provided farmers with solar-powered irrigation pumps of 2 HP, 3 HP, and 5 HP capacity at subsidized rates. With pollution-free and completely free solar energy, farmers no longer have to complain about power cuts or worry about hefty electricity bills.
Not just paddy, but now fields are also lush with green vegetables.
Before the installation of solar pumps, farmers here relied solely on monsoon and traditional paddy cultivation. But now, the availability of perennial water to their fields has completely transformed the landscape. Today, farmers are cultivating vegetables on a commercial scale, along with paddy. They are also growing various cash crops, and by growing more than one crop per year, they are increasing their income manifold.
Nine years: 4,722 hopes: Unprecedented expansion in the district's irrigated area.
As a result of the tireless efforts of the CREDA department, solar irrigation pumps have been installed in the fields of more than 4,722 farmers in Narayanpur district within the last nine years. With the implementation of this scheme, not only has there been a huge expansion in the irrigated area of ​​the district, but the local rural economy has also got a new and strong momentum.
New support for livelihood and steps towards self-reliance
Undoubtedly, 'Saur Sujala Yojana' is not just a means of irrigation, but it has become an infallible medium to make the farmers of the forest region economically strong and self-reliant. The lush green crops in the fields and the bright smiles on the faces of the farmers are a testimony to the fact that solar energy has written a new chapter of prosperity in the interior areas of Chhattisgarh.