UP Govt Working on Installation of 8000 Solar Borewells in the State

The UP Government plans on installing 8,000 solar-powered borewells in the state, almost 35 percent of them would come up in the Purvanchal district.

The State Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP) has announced that it plans on installing 8,000 solar-powered borewells in the state in the coming days. As per the details provided almost 35 percent of them would come up in the Purvanchal districts of the state.

The districts set to benefit from the initiative include Balrampur, Shravasti, Siddharthnagar and Kushinagar where suitable locations would be identified for installations, it said in an official statement.

The details emerged during Chief Secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari’s assessment of action plans prepared by various departments for the overall development of Purvanchal districts of the state. “Considering water scarcity in Purvanchal region and the success of drip irrigation, the government plans to install sprinklers under the ‘Per Drop More Crop’ programme of the Prime Minister Agricultural Irrigation Scheme,” according to the statement.

The state plans to install 8,000 solar-powered borewells, of which about 35 percent would be installed in the Purvanchal districts, it said. Tiwari also discussed ways to improve research in traditional methods of farming to benefit the region’s native Tharu tribe, which is more densely settled in the districts of Balrampur, Maharajganj, Shravasti, Bahraich and Sonbhadra.

The top official also suggested that marketing strategies can be designed for traditional farming, goat farming, poultry farming, beekeeping, mushroom production, vegetable production to help the tribe, according to the statement.

In March, Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) had announced the state and central subsidies that will be provided for rooftop solar projects that will be set up in the residential sector in the state under Phase II of the grid-connected rooftop solar program.

As per the department notification, for rooftop solar projects ranging between 1 kW and 10 kW will receive a state subsidy of Rs 15000 per kW, with the maximum subsidy that can be availed by residential rooftop projects capped at Rs 30000.

Talking to Saur Energy, Bhawani Singh IAS – UPNEDA had revealed that the target set by the department for the year is 60 MW. And that vendor empanelment for the year has also been completed and is available on the UPNEDA website.