Energy Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy on Wednesday made it clear that the farmers who had been enjoying free electricity would not be burdened in any way by the government’s decision of introducing direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme while disbursing subsidy to ryots with farm pumpsets.
Addressing the media here, the Minister said the opposition parties were trying to mislead farmers claiming that the decision of introducing power meters was intended to phase out power subsidies over a period.
“The decision has been taken as part of the reforms in power sector. The government will credit the entire bill for the power consumed by farmers on their pumpsets in the beginning of the month, which they will pay to the power distribution companies (DISCOMs),” explained the Minister.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to farmers’ welfare, Mr. Srinivasa Reddy said the YSRCP would never withdraw the scheme introduced by Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, after paying tributes to a statue of the former Chief Minister at the Church Centre.
Infra upgrade
Replying to a question, he said there would be no interruption in power supply if there was any delay in making the payments to the DISCOMs.
“A sum of ₹1,700 crore has been released to upgrade the power infrastructure to ensure quality supply to farmers for nine hours during day,” he said.
