The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy on Friday issued an advisory to the general public cautioning about fraudulent websites that claim to be the registration portal for the PM-KUSUM scheme.
“Such unauthorised websites are collecting money and information from the people interested in the Scheme. In order to avoid any loss to the general public, MNRE has issued public notices in the past, advising the general public not to deposit any registration fee or share any personal information on such websites. On receipt of complaints, action has also been taken against miscreants and several fake registration portals have been blocked,” the Ministry said in a statement.
MNRE is the implementing agency for the PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyaan) scheme, under which subsidy is provided for setting up of standalone solar pumps and for the solarisation of agricultural pumps.
Farmers can also install grid-connected solar power plants up to 2 megawatts (MW). The scheme is being implemented by the designated departments of the State governments and the details of all such designated departments are available on the MNRE website (www.mnre.gov.in), it added.
In addition to fraudulent websites, WhatsApp and other means are also being used to mislead potential beneficiaries. The Ministry has, therefore, strongly advised that people interested in the PM-KUSUM scheme should check the authenticity of the website before providing any personal information or depositing money.