Himachal Pradesh's MMKSY scheme helps rejuvenate barren land with solar fencing

Faced with farmers abandoning agriculture due to wild animal attacks on their crops, the Himachal government has launched a scheme to provide for fencing around farmlands, including solar fencing, attracting fulsome praise from beneficiaries.

The scheme was launched under the Mukhyamantri Khet Sansarakshan Yojna (MMKSY), which provides a 50 percent subsidy on barbed wire and chain link fencing, 70 percent on composite fencing and 85 percent on solar fencing,” said DC Kangra Rakesh Prajapati.

“Under the scheme launched in 2019-20, a sum of Rs 10.31 crore was spent on 1,26,843 meters of solar fencing on the land of 784 farmers across the district,” he said.

“Solar fencing comprises solar energy-driven fencing,” said state’s northern region Joint Director (Agriculture) Narendra Dhiman, explaining its mechanism.

"In this modern, non-conventional fencing, wires carry solar-energy produced current delivering a fierce but non-fatal shock to an animal coming in its contact, causing a suitable deterrent effect on animals,” he added.

The scheme has attracted fulsome praise from the beneficiary farmers.

Rajendra Kumar, panchayat pradhan, who lives at Kuthama near Gaggal Airport, is one of the beneficiaries of the scheme. “I had abandoned farming nearly ten years ago due to persistent attack by stray and wild animals, including pigs, monkeys and my land had become barren. But, when I heard about the MMKSY, I decided to avail it,” he said.

He said he decided to erect solar fencing around an area of 320 square meters of about 10 kanals of land.

“Out of the total cost of Rs 3,58,543, I gave Rs 1,07,562 as my share and received a subsidy of Rs 2,50,980 from the Agriculture Department. “No doubt this is a unique and innovative scheme of the state govt,” said Kumar, expressing his gratitude to the government.

Another beneficiary of the scheme, Mithila Sharma of Siholpuri village under Shahpur Panchayat, said there was so much terror of attack by nilgai, pigs and monkeys on her fields that they did not allow even turmeric or greens to be harvested apart from traditional crops.

“On the finding of the plan, I put a fence on my land in an area of 310 square meters. It cost me Rs. 3,36,927 out of which I deposited Rs 1,01,078 as my share while the department provided a subsidy of Rs 2,35,849,” she said.