Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed the power utilities to work out modalities to enhance the power supply duration to agriculture sector from the present seven to nine hours a day, soon.
An official release issued by the Media Advisor (Energy and Infrastructure Department) A Chandrasekhara Reddy said the Chief Minister directed the power utilities to "work out modalities and make arrangements" to increase the present 7-hour free power supply to nine hours.
The officials, he said, briefed the Chief Minister that an additional 2,800 million units of power would be required, at an extra cost of Rs 1,200 crore, to increase the supply duration.
The state is now supplying 10,831 million units of power free-of-cost to the farm sector at a cost of Rs 6,030.17 crore.
"No state in India bears such a huge amount as subsidy for giving free power to agriculture.
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Our government is empowering the farmers by supplying free power and implementing several welfare schemes.
In fact, during my tenure in 1994-2004, I had introduced 9-hour free power to farmers," Reddy quoted the Chief Minister as saying.
"A power deficit of 22 million units was plaguing the state immediately after bifurcation (in June 2014).
As soon as I became CM, the state became power surplus within six months and doubled its installed capacity to 18,000 MW from 9000 MW.
This is an outstanding achievement of our government," the Chief Minister was quoted as saying.
The state would see a remarkable change once the Polavaram irrigation project was completed, the CM added.
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