Karnataka Surya Raitha Scheme - Solar Water Pump Scheme for Farmers, Current Status

Karnataka government started Surya Raitha Scheme in Kanakapura on 19 January 2019 to give solar water pump sets to farmers in place of their diesel and electric irrigation pump sets (IP Sets). Under the pilot phase, Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) and Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) replaced 310 IP Sets with solar pumps, which also send extra power back to the local grid.

Scheme has been closed or it was a one time scheme which has been closed by the government. Surya Raitha Scheme was a pilot project limited to Kanakapura taluk and has not been expanded to other districts of Karnataka. No fresh registration window is open under this scheme in 2026. Farmers looking for solar pump subsidy in Karnataka should check PM-KUSUM Yojana, which is the central scheme currently running for solar irrigation pumps across the country, including Karnataka.

Karnataka government had first announced this scheme in FY 2014 to give farmers a reliable daytime power supply. Solar pumps let farmers water their fields during the day instead of switching on IP Sets at night, so water wastage comes down along with pressure on the night time power grid.

How Surya Raitha Scheme Works

Surya Raitha Scheme helped farmers with irrigation because they did not need to switch on IP Sets during night. Solar water pumps kept a check on power and water waste. Karnataka government funded this scheme through a mix of farmer contribution, Central and State subsidy, and soft loans from BESCOM.

Solar pumps under this scheme had around 1.5 times more capacity than the existing IP Sets, and sent about one third of the total power generated to the nearby electricity grid. This extra power supported BESCOM's local feeder and reduced the demand on the grid during peak hours.

BESCOM recovered the loan amount through the cost of extra power exported to the grid. Once the loan was paid off, BESCOM deposited the remaining amount into the farmer's bank account. The payback period was set around 12 to 14 years, based on how much power each pump generated and used.

Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) fixed the tariff plans for this scheme, and net meter revenue went into an escrow account. Government used this money for loan repayment, generation based incentives, and society maintenance costs.

BESCOM's Role Under Surya Raitha Scheme

Under this scheme, BESCOM handled several tasks to support farmers in Kanakapura.

• Formed Farmer's Cooperatives so that pump owners could work together on the pilot project and share responsibilities for its upkeep.
• Gave channel subsidies to bring down the upfront cost for farmers switching to solar pumps.
• Offered soft loans to farmers who could not pay the full pump cost at one go.
• Signed Power Purchase Agreements for a period of 25 years to fix how BESCOM would buy extra power from the pumps.
• Made sure pump sets got steady power supply so irrigation did not suffer.

Farmers who joined the pilot had to give shadow free land to install the solar panels properly, and also had to look after the installed solar photo voltaic (PV) system on their own land.

Kanakapura Pilot Project

For the Kanakapura pilot, Karnataka government formed "Harobele Surya Raitha Vidyuthchakthi Balakedarara Sangha Niyamitha Society" to run the project on the ground. This society collected payment from BESCOM for the extra power sent to the grid and shared these funds among the farmers who took part.

Benefits Farmers Got From Surya Raitha Scheme

Farmers who took part in this pilot got a few clear benefits over the years.

1. Better and more steady crop output because of regular daytime irrigation.
2. Steady power supply during the day, instead of depending on erratic night time electricity.
3. Extra income even during poor weather, through payment for surplus power sent to the grid.

This scheme also cut down the need for regular power subsidy to farmers who took part, and it lowered BESCOM's infrastructure cost in the covered area, along with cutting technical loss on the grid.

Detail	Information
Scheme Name	Surya Raitha Scheme
Launched By	Karnataka Government, KREDL and BESCOM
Launch Date	19 January 2019 (pilot phase in Kanakapura)
Beneficiaries	310 farmers in Kanakapura taluk (pilot only)
Current Status	Closed to new applications, pilot not expanded further
Active Alternative (2026)	PM-KUSUM Yojana for solar irrigation pumps
Payback Period	12 to 14 years through net metering

What Farmers Can Apply For Instead in 2026

Since Surya Raitha Scheme is not accepting new farmers, anyone in Karnataka who wants a subsidised solar irrigation pump should apply under PM-KUSUM Yojana. Karnataka farmers can also check Ganga Kalyana Scheme for borewell and irrigation support if they belong to the minority and backward classes covered under that scheme.

FAQ's

Is Surya Raitha Scheme still open for new applications in 2026?

No. It was a pilot project limited to Kanakapura taluk with 310 pump sets, and it has not been expanded to other parts of Karnataka.

Which scheme can Karnataka farmers use now for solar pump subsidy?

Farmers can apply under PM-KUSUM Yojana, the central scheme that covers solar irrigation pumps for farmers across states, including Karnataka.

What happened to farmers who joined the Kanakapura pilot?

Those farmers kept getting payment from BESCOM for surplus power sent to the grid through the Harobele Surya Raitha society, based on the original loan and tariff terms fixed at the start of the pilot.