One lakh new solar water pumps in the State for irrigation purposes.

Chandigarh September 12: Haryana Government has set for itself a target to install one lakh new solar water pumps in the State for irrigation purposes. In the same series, 25,000 such pumps would be installed during the next year.
A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting of New and Renewable Energy Department held under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Lal here today. He also accorded sanction for the installation of roof top solar power plants on the buildings of 110 Community Health Centres and equal number of Primary Health Centres.
The Chief Minister directed the department to ensure the maximum utilization of green energy. He directed the department to identify blocks other than the dark zones and install the solar water pumps in a phased manner. He directed the department to initially install 25,000 solar water pumps and gradually increased this number to one lakh.
The department had requested to the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for allocation of 20,000 solar pumps to the state for the year 2017-18. In the first phase during the year 2016-17, as many as 750 solar water pumps of capacity 2 Horsepower (HP) surface and submersible and 5HP (submersible) were to be installed in the Shalawas block of district Jhajjar and in other 23 safe blocks in terms of ground water exploitation in other districts. The work order for 750 pumps has already been issued by the concerned districts for the first phase and these pumps have been received at sites out of which 700 pumps have already been installed and commissioned whereas remaining are under installation. During the second phase to be implemented in the year 2017-18, 2300 systems of 2HP to 10HP capacity would be installed for which e-tenders have already been invited.
Mr Manohar Lal directed the Power Department to ensure the availability of net meters, billing through software on net consumption within a week under the solar rooftop programmes. The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in a review meeting held recently has considered Haryana as the leading states in the solar roof Top programme. He said that he would soon convene a meeting of concerned departments regarding the setting up of Solar Park with 500 MW Capacity in the State. The solar park is to be developed by the SUN Haryana, a joint venture of Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructural Development Corporation (HSIIDC) and Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL).
It was informed in the meeting that survey of all government buildings in the State has been completed for the installation of rooftop solar plants so as to meet their power requirement for daily use. The department has prepared a scheme to provide solar toilet lamps to the beneficiaries at a very nominal cost of 10 per cent of the total cost by providing 90 per cent State subsidy or funds under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from various organizations to meet the light requirement in the toilets constructed under Swachh Bharat Mission. Initially, there is proposal to provide 22,000 solar toilet lamps that is 1000 per district on pilot basis. It was also informed that to meet the power requirement of pumps of Public Health Engineering Department for rural water supply, a demonstration of solar pump of 12.5 HP capacity has been installed in village Bhawanpur in district Rewari.
Among those present in the meeting included Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Department, Dr Banwari Lal, Chief Secretary Mr D.S Dhesi, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Dr Rakesh Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, School Education Dr K.K Khandelwal, Principal Secretary Urban Local Bodies Mr Anand Mohan Sharan, Principal Secretary Industries Mr Sudhir Rajpal, Principal Secretary Health Mr Amit Jha, Principal Secretary New and Renewable Energy Department Mr Ankur Gupta, Principal Secretary Town and Country Planning Department Mr Arun Kumar Gupta, Principal Secretary, Public Works (Building and Roads) Mr Alok Nigam, Director General New and Renewable Energy Department Mrs Neerja Shekhar and other senior officers of the State Government.