AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government has reversed its position on the much-debated issue during the Gujarat assembly elections. During the 2022 elections, Gujarat farmers protested over providing daytime electricity throughout Gujarat.
The Bhartiya Kisan Sangh, a wing of the RSS, also protested against the government on this issue. At the time, the government assured farmers that they would have access to electricity even during the day by the end of 2022.
However, the government has made a U-turn on the issue, stating that the farmers will be able to get electricity during the day after two years.
In response to a question in the Gujarat Assembly, Energy Minister Kanubhai Desai stated that all farmers in the state will have access to electricity during the day within the next two years.
"For this, the state government is determined to divide existing feeders and provide power supply with sufficient pressure through new feeders,” he added.
Pal Ambalia, president of the Congress Party's Kisan Cell said, "The Energy Minister said in the Assembly that the Kisan Suryodaya scheme will take two more years to provide electricity to the farmers during the day, the question is now how to trust the government, because earlier former chief minister said that every farmer will get electricity by December 2022 and now energy minister said that every farmer will get electricity after two years?”
Ambalia accused the Gujarat government, saying that “Earlier Rs 3,500 crores were allocated for this scheme and now again it was said in the assembly that Rs 1960 crore rupees were allocated in this scheme, the question is where did the 3500 crore rupees that were allocated for this scheme go? Because the farmers of Gujarat have not yet received electricity during the day."
“While the energy minister claims that it will take two years to provide daytime electricity, agriculture minister Raghavji stated on December 31, 2022, that we have yet to begin the first phase of this scheme. are on their way,” he added.
The Gujarat government launched the Kisan Suryodaya Yojana to provide electricity to farmers during the day. The program was implemented in 2020–21 for 19.25 lakh farmers in Gujarat who had farm electricity connections; in the first phase, 1055 villages of Dahod, Junagadh, and Gir Somnath District were included while 3927 villages were included in the phase.
On August 5, 2021, then-Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced that by the end of 2022, every farmer in Gujarat would have access to electricity during the day. However, most Gujarat farmers did not have access to electricity until the 2022 elections. Farmers throughout Gujarat, particularly in North Gujarat, held agitations for daytime electricity, which were supported by the RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Kisan Sangh.