Rajasthan's farmers have spent decades waking at odd hours to run their pumps under the cover of night — but that calculus is shifting. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma announced on Thursday, 12 November 2026 that farmers in the Khairthal-Tijara region of Alwar district have begun receiving electricity in two daytime blocks, bringing the total number of districts covered under the state's daytime agricultural power initiative to 28.

Khairthal-Tijara joins the daytime grid

In his post, CM Sharma expressed satisfaction — 'यह बताते हुए प्रसन्नता हो रही है' ('I am pleased to share') — that the two-block daytime power supply for irrigation purposes has been activated in the Khairthal-Tijara constituency. The move, he said, will give farmers 'significant relief in irrigation work and ease agricultural activities.' The region falls within Alwar district, one of Rajasthan's agriculturally active belts in the northeast of the state.

A manifesto promise, district by district

The daytime electricity commitment traces directly to the BJP's 2023 Rajasthan election Sankalp Patra — the party's manifesto that placed agricultural power supply at the centre of its rural outreach. When Bhajan Lal Sharma took office in December 2023, Rajasthan's farmers were still largely dependent on nighttime supply for running irrigation pumps, a long-standing structural problem that disrupted farming schedules and increased accident risk in fields.

The state's power distribution companies — DISCOMs — have since been tasked with rerouting agricultural feeders to daytime slots, a technically demanding exercise involving load management and grid upgrades. The Chief Minister specifically congratulated DISCOM officers and staff for the Khairthal-Tijara rollout, acknowledging the operational complexity on the ground.

28 districts covered, the rest in progress

With Khairthal-Tijara's inclusion, farmers across 28 of Rajasthan's districts now have access to daytime electricity for agriculture. CM Sharma stated that work is 'continuously underway' to extend the same facility to the remaining districts 'at the earliest.' Rajasthan has 50 districts as of its latest administrative reorganisation, meaning the rollout still has considerable ground to cover.

The push fits a broader national pattern: several Indian states have launched targeted rural power reforms — separating agricultural feeders from domestic supply lines — to improve irrigation efficiency and reduce farmer distress. Rajasthan's scale of geography and its diverse agro-climatic zones make the logistics particularly demanding, which is why the district-by-district rollout has been the chosen approach.

What it means for Rajasthan's fields

Daytime power for irrigation is not simply a convenience. When farmers can run pumps during daylight hours, they can directly monitor water flow, reduce crop loss from over- or under-irrigation, and avoid the physical hazards of operating equipment in darkness. For the semi-arid stretches of districts like Alwar, dependable irrigation windows can directly influence rabi (winter crop) sowing decisions and yields.

The government's self-set benchmark — completing the statewide rollout — now becomes the number to watch. Each new district added is both an administrative milestone and a political proof-point ahead of ongoing rural sentiment surveys in the state.

Rajasthan's farmers were promised light during the day. With 28 districts now lit, the remaining districts are waiting to see whether the grid catches up before the next sowing season does.