Yogi defaults on free power promise, farmers up in arms in Uttar Pradesh

Yogi Adityanath's 'double engine ki sarkar,' has failed to keep its poll promise of providing free power to farmers from April 1

Hyderabad: Yogi Adityanath’s ‘double engine ki sarkar,’ which claims to be pro-farmer, has failed to keep its poll promise of providing free power to farmers from April 1, triggering widespread protests among farmers in Uttar Pradesh.

Farmers are accusing the Yogi government of betraying them by not fulfilling its promise of free electricity for private tube wells. Prior to the UP Assembly polls, the government had in January 2022 issued an order slashing farmers’ bills by 50 percent, and the BJP’s Sankalp Patra (manifesto) that followed, promised free power to farmers who run their tube wells with an electricity connection. However, the government did not keep its promise, following which farmers are now agitating across the State.

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They are angry that though two months have passed, the State government has not issued any orders asking power utilities to stop issuing power bills to farmers using tube wells.

Bharatiya Kisan union (BKU) leaders in several parts of Western UP recently organised protests and reminded the government to fulfill its promise.

Though the Budget provided Rs.1,500 crore as a cash subsidy to the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) to help it provide free electricity for around 14 lakh private tube wells, the farmers are continuing to receive power bills for tube wells.

Interestingly, the Uttar Pradesh government is advertising in newspapers claiming that free electricity has been provided to farmers using tube wells without issuing a notification to this effect.

According to reports, in Meerut zone alone, 76,000 farmers owe around Rs.125 crore to the UPPCL and about 3.45 lakh tube well users owe more than Rs.2,600 crore to Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL). The farmers are demanding the government to pay the bill to the power utilities as it has promised to provide power to private tube wells free of cost.

As per UPPCL data, around 14 lakh private tube wells used by farmers have a total connected load of around 75 lakh kilowatts, more than 12 percent of the State’s total power load.

Last year, farmers from across Western UP intensified their protest under the BKU by allegedly holding officials hostage for several hours inside the PVVNL’s Meerut office after the installation of electric meters on their tube wells.

The farmers are reportedly planning to organize a massive statewide protest to exert pressure on the Yogi government to fulfill its promises. The Bharatiya Kisan union has assured full support to the farmers.