The farm sector in Telangana will get 24 hours free electricity from March-April next year, officials said on Sunday.
The authorities will supply uninterrupted power from Monday on an experimental basis across the state. This will continue for five to six days and based on the feedback, the Telangana State Transmission Corporation (TS Transco) will take follow up action.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
Farmers in Telangana are currently getting nine hours free supply everyday.
The state had been supplying round-the-clock electricity to farmers in three districts on pilot basis.
Rao instructed that all the arrangements for distribution and supply systems should be in place for 24-hour power to farmers by March-April 2018.
According to a statement from the Chief Minister's office, though there are some states giving free power to the agriculture sector, nowhere in the country the power is supplied for 24 hours uninterruptedly and Telangana is thus setting another record of supplying free, qualitative uninterrupted power for the farm sector.
Power generation and transmission corporations and distribution companies are making arrangements for the same. They have spent Rs 12,000 crore to strengthen the distribution and supply systems.
There are 23 lakh pump sets in the state of which 9.58 lakh are in the three districts where 24 hour supply is being implemented on experimental basis.
Officials said to supply 24 hour power to more than 23 lakh pump sets, there will be a demand for an additional 1,500-2,000 MW.
--IANS
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