Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant addressed the National Dialogue on Solar For Irrigation in India in New Delhi today. Mr Kant said, solar energy holds the potential to change irrigation access, advance low-carbon agriculture, reduce burden of electricity subsidies on the government, and improve resilience of farmers against a changing climate. <br/><br/>He said, despite the existing 19 million electrical pumps and about 9 million diesel pumps, 53 per cent of India's net sown area remains unirrigated. The CEO said, solar for irrigation initiative will be quite instrumental in bringing effective solutions in Indian agriculture.<br/><br/>Talking about the measures taken for this initiative, Mr Kant said, government has deployed 1 lakh 42,000 solar pumps across the country on subsidised rates. He said, through this dialogue, government's objective of doubling farmers' income and enhancing their purchasing capacity can be strengthened.<br/><br/>Mr Kant also released four reports on Solar for irrigation in India during the event.<br/><br/>