‘Telangana only State supplying free power to agriculture sector’

Hyderabad: It is only in Telangana where electricity charges for the domestic category are far lower compared to other States such as Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Punjab. Telangana is the only State which is supplying free and quality power round-the-clock to the agriculture sector. Even Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s native State and […]

Hyderabad: It is only in Telangana where electricity charges for the domestic category are far lower compared to other States such as Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Punjab.

Telangana is the only State which is supplying free and quality power round-the-clock to the agriculture sector. Even Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s native State and BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh were not giving free power to the agriculture sector, officials told Finance Minister T Harish Rao and Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy.

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In spite of paying charges, the Gujarat government was supplying power for only nine hours to the agriculture sector, they said at a meeting to review the activities of the energy department for the third consecutive day.

The Ministers discussed the priority accorded to the welfare sector by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and the discoms supplying quality power at low price with senior officials.

Officials explained to the Ministers that for below 50 units under domestic consumers’ category for middle and lower middle-class consumers, only Rs.1.45 paisa per unit was collected in Telangana as against Rs.3.30 paisa per unit collected in Gujarat and Rs.3 in Uttar Pradesh.

West Bengal was charging Rs.4.02 paisa per unit up to 50 units of power under domestic category while Congress-ruled Punjab was collecting Rs.3.49 paisa per unit up to 50 units. The bill of a consumer who utilised 100 units works out to Rs.239 in Telangana as against Rs.861 and Rs.473 in Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Punjab, respectively and Rs.702, Rs.601 and Rs.457 in BJP-ruled Karnataka, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, respectively. It would be Rs.759 in West Bengal and Rs.677 in Maharashtra.

Telangana discoms are spending Rs.7.24 paisa per unit but collecting only Rs.1.45 paisa up to 50 units, Rs.2.60 paisa up to 100 units and Rs.4.30 paisa up to 200 units from the domestic category consumers. However, the power supply expenditure gap was borne by the State government.

With respect to the agriculture sector, the Telangana government is supplying free power round-the-clock. But the State government in Gujarat is collecting Rs.667 every month from an electrical motor connection from a farmer for supplying power for nine hours while Rs.2,408 and Rs.4,558 from each farmer in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal respectively for nine hours power supply.

The Rajasthan government, which is supplying power for only seven hours, is collecting Rs.1,800 from each farmer. However, the Kerala government, which boasts of supplying power 24X7, is collecting Rs.2,952 for each connection for supplying power for only nine hours.

Stating that the discoms were suffering losses, the officials told Ministers, the State government was annually paying Rs.10,000 crore for supplying power to the agriculture sector apart from other subsidies. It is also providing a subsidy of Rs.1,253 crore for the power supply up to 200 units domestic consumers annually.

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