Saur Sujala Yojana’ : Improving lives of farmers in Baloda-Bazaar by boosting their income
Garvit matrabhoomi from Baloda Bazaar State government’s “Saur Sujala Yojana” has been proven beneficial in increasing the crop cultivation and income of farmers in the Baloda Bazaar district of Chhattisgarh. Demand for the installation of solar pumps has increased in the district with the increasing awareness among farmers regarding the benefits of the use of solar pumps. A total of 4, 305 solar pumps have been installed so far by Chhattisgarh State Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA). Apart from fields, these pumps are also being installed in gauthans and pastures. Meanwhile, ‘Saur Sujala Yojana’ is targeted to assist the farmers–especially in the remote areas where it is not possible to supply electricity–with solar pumps at concessional rates for better crop production at reduced expenditure. Besides, it also aims to facilitate groundwater conservation and strengthen the rural economy. “The scheme has provided great relief to the farmers and is helping farmers to boost their income. This has made life easy for the farmers. They are now utilizing their entire land for cultivation. Besides, with the installation of solar pumps, they don’t have to pay hefty electricity bills which have reduced their input cost to a great extent. In addition, this will also help in reducing land exploitation and air pollution caused by diesel irrigation pumps”, said district collector Shri Rajat Bansal. Due to the increasing awareness of the farmers in Dhebi and Dheba, remote villages under the Baranwapara area of the Kasdol development block, solar pumps have been installed in the fields of about 224 farmers. Most of the pumps are installed in the river, well, and borewell, which are submersible and surface pumps.A solar pump of 5HP capacity has been installed in the field of Kartik Ram, a resident of village Dheba. He is practicing agriculture on an area of about 4 acres. Kartik Ram and another village resident Mehtab Singh said “Earlier we have to be dependent on monsoon for irrigation. Many times crops were ruined due to scanty and untimely rainfall. Income before installation of the solar pump was nearly Rs 1.50 lakh. However, with the installation of solar pumps, now paddy worth Rs 5 to 6 lakh is being produced in the same field due to adequate irrigation facilities. After harvesting paddy, crops like wheat and gram, vegetables like brinjal, cabbage, barbatti, tomato are being cultivated, which helps us to generate an additional income of about Rs 40,000 to 50,000.”Farmers are no more bound to electricity as they are using solar pumps for irrigation in their fields. They are now earning good profits by producing vegetables and seasonal crops besides paddy and wheat by using solar pumps for irrigation provided under this scheme. With the benefit of this scheme, the paddy farmers in the remote areas who were previously dependent on rainfall as the only means of irrigation are now growing green vegetables and cash crops along with paddy in their fields.
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