RAS question
PM-KUSUM scheme promotes:
Correct answer: (B) Solar energy in agriculture through solar pumps and grid-connected solar power plants.
PM-KUSUM promotes solar energy in agriculture through decentralised grid-connected solar power plants, stand-alone solar agriculture pumps, and solarisation of grid-connected agriculture pumps.
Explanation
PM-KUSUM, or Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyaan, is a solar-focused agriculture scheme, not a general power-sector scheme. The MNRE page lists three components: 10,000 MW of decentralised ground- or stilt-mounted grid-connected solar or other renewable energy-based power plants; installation of stand-alone solar agriculture pumps; and solarisation of grid-connected agriculture pumps, including feeder-level solarisation. That structure explains why option B is the answer: the scheme links farm power demand with solar generation, both through pumps used by farmers and through decentralised plants connected to the grid. Nuclear, wind-for-households, and thermal generation do not match any of these stated PM-KUSUM components.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Nuclear energy is not one of the PM-KUSUM components listed by MNRE, which centre on solar power plants and solar agriculture pumps.
- (C) The scheme is not framed as wind energy for households; its components concern agricultural solar pumps and grid-connected solar or renewable energy-based plants.
- (D) Thermal power plants are outside the scheme’s design, which promotes decentralised solar capacity and solarisation of agricultural pumping systems.
Concept
This tests government schemes in the Indian Economy syllabus, especially renewable-energy interventions linked to agriculture. It recurs in RAS because PM-KUSUM connects energy policy, farm infrastructure, subsidies, and decentralised solar generation.