Taking serious notice of reports that some miscreants have created fake Facebook accounts and PM-KUSUM portal to dupe innocent people by ensuring them to install solar pumps, Punjab New and Renewable Energy Sources Minister Aman Arora on Tuesday clarified that no applications have been invited for the scheme while issuing the contact numbers to register complaint about the fraud in the name of solar pumps.
 
“Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) has not invited applications for setting up agriculture solar pumps under PM-KUSUM Scheme,” said Arora, issuing an official clarification.
 
“It has come into my notice that some miscreants have created fake Facebook accounts and PM-KUSUM Portal to dupe innocent people by ensuring them to install solar pumps, and they are demanding the advance amount from the farmers, besides collecting documents related to their land, bank accounts, Aadhar card and pictures etc,” he noted.
 
Issuing strict warning to such miscreants for strict action, the Minister asked the PEDA officials to lodge a police complaint to get the matter investigated. He also released mobile numbers of contact persons at PEDA —Joint Director Rajesh Bansal (94174-80801), Senior Manager Harnek Singh (94178-51616), and Manager Nayab Mittal (79867-37895) — to lodge complaint about the fraud being committed by these miscreants in the name of installing Solar pump sets.
 
Urging the farmers not to fall prey to these miscreants, Arora said that the farmers should contact the above-mentioned PEDA officials via phone if they find any advertisement or social media message in this regard.
 
“Whenever PEDA will invite the applications for setting up solar pump sets under the PM-KUSUM scheme, all will be informed through newspapers and other official mass media platforms,” he said.