Convergence Opportunities between PM-KUSUM and ABhY in Rajasthan

This IWMI-GIZ policy video argues that especially in groundwater-scarce regions of Rajasthan, PM-KUSUM (India's flagship initiative for solarization of agriculture) and ABhY (India's program for improved groundwater governance) can work together. It makes a case for viewing solar irrigation pumps as an instrument for groundwater demand management.

The work presented in this policy brief video was carried out as part of an IWMI-GIZ collaborative project: “Solar irrigation expansion in India: Opportunities and challenges in co-management of Energy, Water, Agriculture and Climate”. The project aims to facilitate better decision making in the process of scaling and mainstreaming of solar irrigation in India, specifically through the Government of India’s PM-KUSUM initiative and associated state-level policies. We would also like to acknowledge contributions to this work from IWMI's partnership with the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the two-decade old partnership between IWMI and Tata Trusts, IWMI-Tata Water Policy Program.