On New Year, Telangana gifts 24X7 free power supply to farmers
HYDERABAD: As the clock strikes 00.01 am on Monday, the farmers in Telangana have their dream fulfilled. They will be erupting in celebrations, thanks to the new year gift from the Chief Minister, K Chandrashekhar Rao.
In a first, an ambitious programme aimed at providing 24X7 free power supply to the farm sector gets underway. Some 23 lakh agriculture pump sets across the 31 districts will operate without the auto starters. Power at the press of the button to run the pump sets was beyond their imagination three years ago in the backdrop of total power crisis predicted by the Seemandhra rulers in separate Telangana state. But on Monday it a reality only in the new state.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao who had been firm on setting the state agriculture free from the vagaries of nature, is successful considerably in making the irrigation under tube wells and bore wells largely an assured source of irrigation.
Source wise distribution reveals that wells are main source of irrigation in the State, irrigating about 84% of the total net irrigated area in 2014-15. The share of canal and tank irrigation is confined to mere 10 percent and 4 percent respectively. The well irrigation had shown a faster growth rate since 1985-86.
The well irrigation which was 16 percent in 1955-56,increased to 37% in 1985-86 and further increased to 81% in 2015-16. But the power short supply remained a major constraint for the success of despite rapid energigation of wells.
The implementation of round the clock power supply to farm sector involved great deal of brain storming, months of planning and several round of trial runs before it got the stamp of approval of the Chief Minister.
A few other states were supplying free power to farmers but nowhere it was being supplied for 24 hours. Telangana State Power Generation Corporation and Transco CMD D Prabhakar Rao said that the 24 hour power supply will result in gradual increase in the demand and it will reach 11000 MW by the month of March.
He also discussed about the load bearing due to the 24-hour supply and the strategy to be adapted when there is more load. As the pump houses of the existing Lift Irrigation Schemes will also start functioning from June next there will be more demand for power. A strategy is being evolved to meet the overall demand of power.
Till the formation of Telangana state the power supply to the farming sector was erratic but after the formation of the state it was increased to 9 hours a day. Accordingly, Transco, Genco, SPDCL, NPDCL have made arrangements. Rs 12,610 Crore was spent to strengthen the distribution and supply systems.
From 17th June round- the -clock power supply to 9.85 lakh pump sets was started on experimental basis in the erstwhile district of Medak, Nalgonda and Karimnagar.
In November more districts were brought under the experiment. A trial run of the round the clock supply was undertaken in November last before it was extended to the entire state.
The Power Minister, G Jagadish Reddy said that the Chief Minister had been planning the round the clock power supply since the day he started fighting for state hood. He had a thorough grasp of the ills of the state as well as long lasting solutions for them.