India Hopes To Replace Diesel With Green Energy in its Farms by 2024

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“India will replace diesel with renewables to achieve the target of zero diesel use in the agricultural sector by 2024,” said a statement by the ministry of power.

The Union Minister for Power, New and Renewable energy, R K Singh on Friday said this is in line with the government’s commitment to increase the share of non-fossil fuels by 2030 and become a net zero emitter by 2070.

In the year 2020 government has launched a scheme to provide financial incentives to farmers to use solar instead of diesel fired irrigation pumps. Government is already running Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme to solarise Indian agriculture sector.

Haryana, according to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, is a leader in the country in solar water pumps installation to encourage micro-irrigation under KUSUM plan.

Gasoline sales in India have exceeded pre-Covid-19 levels, while 2021 diesel sales were lower than consumption in 2019, according to government data.