Page 68 - Policy Economic Report - September 2026

POLICY AND ECONOMIC
OIL & GAS MARKET

administered by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. These provisions are intended to ease the
compliance burden, provide flexibility during the transition and enable manufacturers to
manage variations in their product portfolio and technology adoption pathways.

7. Reporting will be undertaken under both the Modified Indian Driving Cycle (MIDC) and the
Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP). This dual approach will
facilitate India's gradual transition towards globally harmonised vehicle testing practices.

8. Manufacturers with annual sales of below 1,000 units will remain exempt from fleet-average
obligations, thereby avoiding the regulatory burden for low-volume manufacturers.

12. The Farmer Who Has Always Fed the Nation is Now also Lighting it up, with the Annadata Becoming
an Urjadata: Union Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi

The farmer who has always fed this nation is now also lighting it up with the Annadata becoming an
Urjadata, said Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Education and Consumer Affairs, Food
and Public Distribution, Shri Pralhad Joshi, while addressing the curtain-raiser event ahead of the 7th
Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 in New Delhi.

The Union Minister said the next phase of PM-KUSUM will carry a dedicated component for
agrivoltaics, enabling farmers to continue farming while also earning from electricity. He said the focus
will be on small and marginal farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations, cooperatives and panchayats,
while ensuring that land ownership remains with the farmer. He said solar income can provide greater
income security to farmers whose earnings are otherwise dependent on monsoons and market prices.

Shri Joshi said that a farmer can earn three streams of income from the same acre — from the crop
sold, the power sold to the DISCOM, and the money saved on diesel. For a small farmer, solar income
is not just extra income, it is security, he said, adding that it can provide a regular source of income in
both good years and bad years.

The Minister noted that India has about 18% of the world’s population but a 2.4% of world’s land,
with more than 85% of farmers being small and marginal farmers cultivating less than 2 hectares. With
agrivoltaics, he said, we do not have to choose between crop and solar plant, we can do both at the
same time. The same land can continue to grow crops below, while generating clean energy above.
The Minister said India added 55.29 GW of non-fossil capacity last year, more than the entire installed
power capacity of several developed countries: Norway (40.6 GW), Switzerland (around 30 GW),
Austria (34 GW) and Belgium (around 33 GW).

Shri Joshi highlighted the progress under PM-KUSUM, stating that around 29 lakh pumps have been
solarised. He added that last year, decentralised solar contributed 16.3 GW, comprising 7.6 GW from

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