AP govt to bear Rs 10,135 crore subsidy for free power supply: Peddireddy

VIJAYAWADA: The State government is committed towards public well-being and effectively implementing the welfare programs under the prestigious Navaratnalu scheme in the AP Power sector that is benefitting lakhs of families in the State, said Minister of Energy, Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy during a meeting with power utilities, here on Sunday.

“The government has agreed to allocate Rs 10,135.22 crore for 2023-24 as subsidy for providing nine hours free power supply to agriculture consumers and concessions extended to SC, ST and MBC consumers and aqua farmers and also a subsidy for domestic consumers as well. The State government has committed to bridging the total revenue gap determined by the AP Electricity Regulatory Commission for 2023-24 with no tariff hike to any category/class of consumers except for energy-intensive industries. There will be no increase in electricity charges for all classes of consumers.”

“For the industries like ferroalloy which consumes a lot of electricity, Rs 475 per KVA demand charges are levied on par with general industries. There are no demand charges for these ferroalloy industries till now. Energy charges are also 50 paise less per unit compared to conventional industries and there are no peak demand charges,” he added.

“The State government has laid special focus on the welfare of people and implemented the Navaratnalu scheme in the power sector. The government is implementing an ambitious scheme of free power to agriculture and weaker sections and others. The government has almost achieved 100 per cent success of the welfare schemes in the power sector, he said.

“Consumers are expecting more cost-efficient, reliable and resilient services from power utilities as well as providing quality power supply. The State government is giving more priority to consumer protection and social responsibility in the power sector. The same was reflected in the recent power tariffs released by APERC. The government wants to ensure that the expectations and needs of every consumer need to be acknowledged and addressed in a more effective way,” the Minister said.

Special chief secretary K Vijayanand said AP power utilities shall put all concerted efforts to be the best State in the country providing 24X7 quality and reliable power. He asked power utilities to be more cautious during the summers.