In a major relief to coffee planters, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced in the Legislative Assembly that electricity will be given free of cost for up to 10 HP pump sets owned by planters in Karnataka.
For farmers, Karnataka has been giving free power for irrigation pumps sets up to 10 HP, with a mandatory installation of electric meters to quantify power consumption.
Earlier, during zero hour, members belonging to the coffee belt in Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu districts demanded free power for pump sets. Not all coffee growers are rich and many small growers are not able to pay the electricity bills, said C.T. Ravi, K.G. Bopanna, Apachhu Ranjan and M.P. Kumaraswamy (all BJP), A.T. Ramaswamy and H.K. Kumaraswamy (JD-S).
Mr. Bommai said the State’s power subsidy has been increased to ₹14,000 crore. Like other farmers, the government would give free power for pump sets up to 10 HP, but the Chief Minister told growers not to misuse this facility.
On Pavagada accident
Venkataramanappa, Congress member elected from Pavagada constituency, urged the government to provide ₹25 lakh compensation to families whose members died in a bus accident in Pavagada on March 19.
He also demanded that the government bear the medical expenses of those injured, particularly students. Six persons were killed and nearly 50 others were injured when an overcrowded private bus heading towards Pavagada from Y.N. Hosakote overturned on March 19.
