KCR’s idea to do away free Power to Farmers!

Telangana State is gripping with severe power crisis. The primary reason for the power shortage in the state is the over dependency on agricultural pumpsets for cultivation of crops. There are about 20 Lakh agricultural power sets in the state and the government is to supply free power to them for seven hours a day. This free power alone costs 30 million units per day and as per the current power tariffs, the free power expense to farmers is 15 Crore per day.

The Chief Minister K Chandra Sekhar Rao has constituted a committee to study all aspects related to installation of solar agricultural pumpsets. The committee will suggest an estimate of the cost-effectiveness of replacing all the 20 lakh agricultural pumpsets in the State vis-à-vis the current subsidy for free power.

Government is thinking on the lines of giving heavy subsidies to replace the Solar Pumpsets with normal ones so as to do away the free power and there by ease the power crisis in the state.