TIRUCHY: In a measure that could mitigate the risks faced by farmers as well as arrest water wastage, the agricultural engineering department would give away remote electric pump controllers, which can operate pump sets in fields from the convenience of one’s house or just about anywhere, at a subsidised rate. The department has set an initial target installation of 5,500 such devices across the state, of which 157 is earmarked for eligible farmers in Tiruchy. A Kandasamy, executive engineer (agriculture engineering)-Tiruchy, explained that the remote electric pump controller would be connected with the motor pump set in the farmer’s field well and a particular SIM card provided with the device would then be inserted into the beneficiary’s mobile phone.
"Farmers can then switch on or off their pump set from anywhere using their mobile phone. If a farmer is willing to spend an additional Rs 20,000, they can also regulate the water flow by attaching a solenoid switch,” the official said. This system eliminates the need for farmers to visit their fields at night, reducing the risks of suffering snake bites and electrocution.
It will also help prevent water wastage and allow farmers to save time and electricity, officials said. While the department has set a target of installing 5,500 remote electric pump controllers across the state, 127 of the devices are allocated for installation in the fields of general category farmers in Tiruchy and 30 of them for SC/ST beneficiaries in the district, Kandasamy said. District Collector M Pradeep Kumar has invited eligible farmers to apply for the device offered at a subsidy of 40% to 50%.
The price range per device is Rs 9,000 to Rs 14,000, depending on quality. Small, marginal, women, SC and ST farmers are eligible for a subsidy of 50% of the total device cost, up to a maximum of Rs 7,000. Other farmers can avail of a subsidy of 40% of the total cost, up to a maximum of Rs 5,000, the collector said. Technicians from the device manufacturer will assist in installation of the device in the fields, officials said. Interested farmers can contact Assistant Engineers R Ramesh Kumar with the Tiruchy subdivision, R Ashok Kumar with Musiri and A Ganesan with the Lalgudi subdivision by dialling 9791306938, 9942112882 and 9842435242.