VIJAYAWADA: The state government is taking steps to strengthen transmission infrastructure to enable the evacuation of power from the 10,000 megawatts (MW) solar power plants to be commissioned to meet the demand from the nine-hour free agriculture power initiative, Dr YSR Free Agriculture Power Scheme.
The officials said that new transformers in 400 KV substations and construction 200 KV switching stations would be taken up as part of it to ensure supply to farmers on a “permanent basis”. “The power utilities have completed the feeders upgradation work with `1,700 crore on a war footing on the direction of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Now, the power utilities are supplying free power to 99 per cent of feeders and 100 per cent of feeders can get free power in the Rabi season,” a statement from the department on Tuesday said quoting an APTRANSCO official.
Speaking to officials over telephone on the eve of Sankranti festival , Energy Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy said that the nine hours free power scheme would definitely help agriculture a profitable activity and empower farmers. “The State will move towards progress only if the farmers are happy. In view of this, the Chief Minister has redefined the priorities of government and given high priority free power to agriculture scheme,” he said.
On other hand, the state government is taking a series of steps to make free power scheme a role model for the entire nation by implementing the direct benefit transfer of the subsidy for the free power scheme. Energy secretary Srikant Nagulapalli said DBT of free power scheme was a farmer-friendly policy that would empower them to ask for quality power to agriculture sector. It would also strengthen the rights of farmers in getting free power for agriculture purpose and enhance the accountability and responsibility among power utilities, he said.