The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha & Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme, launched in 2019 to enhance solar energy use in agriculture, has not met its targets in its first phase, which ended on March 31, 2023. According to a report by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), deployment under Component A reached only 8.4% of the 10,000 MW target. Similarly, Component C-FLS, aimed at solarising agricultural pumps, managed to solarise just 38.2% of the 35.6 lakh pumps sanctioned. The report highlights several obstacles, including low awareness among farmers, land availability issues, tariff viability challenges, and grid limitations. Anas Rahman, a senior policy advisor at IISD, emphasized the need for states to focus on tariff design, grid readiness, and payment security to ensure the financial sustainability of solar irrigation for both utilities and farmers as the scheme progresses to its next phase.