VIJAYAWADA: Describing the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of agriculture power subsidy under Dr YSR Free Agriculture Power Scheme as a farmer-friendly policy, energy secretary Srikant Nagulapalli said that the initiative would empower farmers to question the power utilities for supply of quality power. He appealed to the power sector engineers, particularly the field functionaries, to play an active role in clarifying the doubts of the farmers, if any, and create awareness on the DBT policy.
Speaking on the occasion of 160th birth anniversary of Mokshagundam Visveswaraya at Vidyut Soudha on Tuesday, the energy secretary, who is also the chairman and managing director of APTRANSCO, stated that the State government was taking progressive steps to make AP power sector financially robust and consumer-friendly, with focus on farmers’ and low-income groups’ welfare.
Under the DBT scheme, the government would deposit the entire amount of electricity bill into the accounts of farmers, who would in turn pay the Discoms.
He added that the government would not impose any restrictions on the number of agriculture connections and that it has already been clarified that it would regularise all the unauthorised and overload connections.