Representative image of a farmer.
Credit: PTI Photo
Amidst the power crisis in the state, the government has decided to ensure seven hours of uninterrupted power supply to farmers.
Earlier, the government had declared that it was in a position to provide power to farmers only for five hours.
“Earlier we had planned to provide seven hours of uninterrupted power supply to farmers. However, a few of them were of the opinion that five hours would suffice. Now, since sugarcane and many crops have come to harvest, the demand for power has increased,” Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said.
Seven hours of power supply requires 600 MW an hour and this amounts to 14 million units a day. This could cost the exchequer an additional Rs 1,500 crore and the government is planning to meet the additional expenditure by savings in grants and reallocation of funds.
Speaking about the power situation in the state, Siddaramaiah said that the power demand has gone up by nearly 45% compared to last year.
The agricultural consumption has gone up from 55% last year to 119% this year, he said.
“Over the last few days, power generation has increased considerably. It has gone up to 3,200 MW and 450 MW is being produced through bagasse-based cogeneration,” the chief minister said.
Bill waiver
The state government has announced that the pending bills of households coming under the various power schemes including Bhagya Jyothi, Kuteera Jyothi and Amrutha Jyothi amounting to close to Rs 389.66 crore will be waived.
“Since the Gruha Jyothi scheme is in force, we have increased the free power up to 58 units for all the other schemes. As there are pending bills, it is difficult to implement the programme. Hence, considering the economic status of these families, we have decided to waive these dues,” Siddaramaiah said.