The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : 1.5 lakh more power connections to farmers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 13, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

1.5 lakh more power connections to farmers

Special Correspondent

A.P. Government's two-pronged strategy to boost agriculture

HYDERABAD: As part of the Andhra Pradesh Government's time-bound action plan to irrigate an additional 5 to 6 lakh acres, the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, on Sunday approved the release of another 1.5 lakh agricultural power connections — 50,000 under the free category and one lakh under the Tatkal scheme — for 2005-06.

As per the sanction given by the Chief Minister just before leaving for Nandyal, the 50,000 new connections would be provided in dryland areas, while the 1 lakh connections under the Tatkal scheme would be in the paying category, according to a press release from the Chief Minister's office. The farmers taking Tatkal connections would be required to pay Rs. 1,000 towards development charges.

Irrigation for poor

The sanction covers all distribution companies and Rural Electrical Supply Cooperative Societies (RESCOs), besides 15 per cent quota for SCs and 6 per cent for STs. "No State has sanctioned such a huge number of agricultural connections," Dr. Reddy said.

Referring to the distribution of 1.5 lakh acres on January 26, the release said the Government was contemplating distribution of another 1 lakh acres to the poor by July-end. Stating that the sanction of new power connections would help the beneficiaries irrigate lands distributed to them, it said that district-wise targets had been worked out for the release of the services with Telangana accounting for 42 per cent of them. The number of pumpsets by the end of the financial year would touch 25 lakhs in the State, which already has the highest number with 23.78 lakh connections, surpassing Maharashtra (around 22 lakhs) and accounts for 43.63 per cent in the South. Dr. Reddy said the Government was adopting a two-pronged strategy to revive the agriculture sector — through Jalayagnam, which envisaged construction of 32 major and minor projects and facilitated irrigation through pumpsets to a large extent by providing free power to 95 per cent of farmers. He said the farmer-centric approach of his Government was evident from the fact that quality and reliable power had been provided to the farm sector.

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