The State government will provide motors to farmers free of cost, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said here on Monday, after launching the ‘YSR Jala Kala’ scheme in virtual mode. As part of the scheme, borewells will be dug for small and marginal farmers in arid and upland areas in the State free of cost.
“An estimated 5 lakh acres will be brought under cultivation in four years at a cost ₹2,340 crore. The ‘YSR Jala Kala’ will be implemented in 144 rural and 19 semi-urban constituencies across the State,” said Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The sites for drilling the borewells, he said, would be selected on the basis of the findings of hydro-geological and geo-physical surveys. Farmers can avail of the benefits of the scheme second time in case of failure to draw water in the first attempt.
How to apply
“Eligible farmers need to apply either online or through their respective village secretariats. They can monitor the status of their applications at every stage of scrutiny. The expenditure entailed by free motor scheme would be about ₹1,600 crore,” said Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The Chief Minister maintained that the new electricity meters would not burden the farmers.
Rather, the devices would provide the data on power consumption and the required load of feeders. This new system will ensure transparency.
10,000 MW solar plant
The electricity bill amounts will be transferred to the bank accounts of the farmers which they, in turn, will pay to the DISCOMs. A 10,000 MW solar power plant is on the anvil and it will exclusively cater to the needs of nine-hour free power scheme for the next 30 years, said Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Feeder capacity
The Chief Minister further said that the previous TDP government had ruined the free-electricity scheme by incurring a debt of ₹8,655 crore and it had paid no attention to strengthening of the feeders.
“Only 58% of the feeders can provide free power during the day time. The YSRCP government has increased the capacity of these feeders by spending ₹1,700 crore. This move will enable the farmers in the State to avail free power supply for nine hours in the day time in hassle-free manner,” the Chief Minister said.
Panchayat Raj Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and his Roads and Buildings M. Sankara Narayana were among others who took part in the event.
