The Telangana government on Monday announced free 24-hour power supply for agricultural purposes to the state’s 2.3 million farmers, PTI reported.
The government said that the installed power capacity in the state has grown from 6,573 megawatts as on June 2, 2014, to 14,913 megawatts as of Monday.
The scheme was launched at midnight on Sunday at Pothaipalli village in Medchal Malkajgiri district. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said the free power supply was a New Year’s gift for the farmers.
“Though certain states are supplying power to farmers free of cost, it is only for a few hours; and some states are giving 24-hour power supply but for a price,” Rao said, according to the Hindustan Times. “Telangana is the only state which is supplying power to farmers round the clock free of cost.”
Transmission Corporation of Telangana Limited’s Chairperson and Managing Director D Prabhakar Rao said the transmission and distribution system can bear the load up to 17,000 megawatts.
Experts, however, have warned that the power supply scheme may result in large-scale exploitation of groundwater, Hindustan Times reported.
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