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India

Solar power features prominently in Modi government's US$2.5 billion SAUBHAGYA scheme launched in July 2015 to electrify every Indian household by 2019 — a huge task considering around 300 million people were without electricity. The use of local mini-grids run on solar power is "a big part of the push, with 60 percent of new connections expected to be to renewable power", according to a report by the International Energy Agency. The government provides subsidy of up to 90% of the upfront capital cost to install solar-powered water pumping systems for irrigation and drinking water. As of 30 November 2017, more than 142,000 solar pumps have been installed to irrigate the agricultural fields. This scheme weans farmers away from diesel-powered pumps and generates extra income for them by allowing to sell surplus power to the grid. It is one of the innovative ways that the government is empowering the rural population with the help of solar energy by addressing specific issues such as water availability. The solar panels are being built over the irrigation canals to preserve water from evaporation in drought-prone sunny areas. The world's first canal-top solar project was set up on Narmada in Gujarat in 2012. For the last mile connectivity in remote and inaccessible areas, the government provides solar power packs of 200 to 300 watt-peak (Wp), along with battery bank, that includes five LED lights, one DC fan and one DC power plug. Other schemes includes Solar Street Light Scheme, providing solar direct current lighting systems, solar lanterns, solar cookers, etc.