Stalin announces free power connections to 1 lakh farmers
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced on Thursday that Tangedco would provide power connections to one lakh farmers, mostly free, in the next few months at the cost of ₹3,025 crore for the government exchequer.
From 2006 onwards, the number of farmers seeking free power connections has increased, and at the end of the DMK government in 2011, the total number of farmers’ applications were 4.84 lakh. In the five years, the DMK government has provided 2.85 lakh free connections.
Similarly, during Jayalalithaa’s regime between 2011and 2016, the total number of applications pending was 3.80 lakh, and during those five years, the AIADMK government had provided only 82,987 free connections.
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Between 2016 and 2021, the number of farmers’ applications pending was 4.48 lakh, and the AIADMK government had provided 1.38 lakh connections in those five years of its term.
Each year the amount of power consumption by farmers is increasing, and, in 2020-21, 13,956 million units were consumed by the farmers accounting for 14.95%, the second-largest consumption after domestic connections, which account for 35.05% of the total consumption by all types of consumers.
“Energy charges are paid as subsidy by Government of Tamil Nadu for all the agriculture services every year at a flat rate of ₹2,875 per horsepower per year (as per the rate approved by the TNERC) as meters have not been provided in agriculture category,” said a senior Tangedco official.
In 2020-21, the government paid ₹4,275.86 crore as a subsidy to Tangedco towards providing free power to farmers. In 2021-22, if one lakh connections are provided to farmers, the total subsidy is expected to cross ₹7,300 crore. “We are also working on the segregation of agriculture loads from pre-dominant agriculture feeders for solarisation,” added the official.
The chief minister, in his speech, also said that the financial strength of Tangedco is very weak. “Many farmers are misusing their free connections. The load in the area transformer increases once a farmer starts to use his free connection as the motor strength is far higher than what is allowed,” said the official.
Apart from providing free connections, Tangedco has to spend several crores to reset the transformers and sub-stations affected by the cyclones in delta and southern districts.
“We have plans to replace 253 km of 33 kV source lines to the substation by underground cables in coastal areas of Tamil Nadu at an estimated cost of ₹268 crore so that there will not be major network damage during cyclone/ storm,” said the official. According to the official, the scheme is proposed to be executed by availing a 70% loan from Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the remaining 30% amount shall be met out from Tangedco funds.
