In order to make farming profitable and to empower farmers, the State government has taken several steps to increase the availability of nine hours of free power to the farm sector. The tie-up with Solar Energy Corporation of India, (SECI), for the supply of solar power is the most important. It will begin with 3,000 Megawatts (MW) from September 2024 in the first tranche and 3,000 MW and 1,000 MW in the second and third tranches from September 2025 and September 2026 respectively, Minister for Energy Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy said on Monday.
The Minister chaired a review meeting and stated that the State government had made the bold decision to procure 7,000 MW from SECI at an effective price of Rs2.49/unit. He also gave a guarantee of reliable power supply for farmers for the next 25-years.
The government has made efforts to make the free power program permanent in order to support farmers. They have also taken steps such as providing power at a subsidy rate to the aquaculture industry. These initiatives will make a significant difference in the lives of farmers and rural areas. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohanreddy believes that progress can only be made if farmers are happy. The Minister stated that the government is trying to improve the fortunes of the farmers.
K. Vijayanand, Special Chief Secretary for Energy, stated that the State government has implemented the Direct Benefit Transfer scheme (DBT), which allows agricultural connections and the installation of smart meters to increase the performance of Discoms. This will ensure high quality power supply to the farm sector.
He stated that the Discoms had supplied 12,000 million Units (MU), per year, to the agricultural sector as of date. An annual subsidy burden of Rs 8,400 crore was borne by the government. He said that the T&D network was being improved to supply free electricity to farmers.
