Direct Cash Transfer to farmers for electricity consumption is a death cord: Chandrababu Naidu

Amaravati: The Direct Cash Transfer scheme to the farmers for electricity introduced by the YSRCP government is a death cord, criticised the TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu in a press conference on Saturday. Condemning the installation of reading meters to the agriculture farmers' electricity scheme, he demanded the state government to withdraw it immediately. He demanded to allow the farmers to have the existing free electricity scheme.

In the name of Direct Cash Transfer to the farmers for agriculture usage, the government has been escaping from the free electricity to them, he explained. The government has been taking loans on various names and diverting them, he criticised. Now, with an aim to take advantage in getting further loans through the recently relaxed norms on FRBM by the central government, the State government now installing the meters to the agriculture farmers. With this decision, the State government pushing around 18 lakh farmers into deep troubles, he added.

Within 15 months, the state government borrowed more than Rs 1.5 lakh Cr. He said that the YSRCP government increased the electricity charges two times in the last 15 months, on the other hand, the TDP government did not increase even a single time during the entire five years period between 2014-19. Within five years of TDP rule, the electricity deficit State was emerged as electricity surplus State, without any additional burden on any consumer, he added.

Naidu also stated that despite all hurdles, the TDP government gave 100 units electricity to SCs and STs at free of cost. The subsidised electricity was given to the aqua, fisheries and others by the TDP government.

He said that asking the farmers to pay money to the usage of electricity for their agriculture purpose was nothing but a backstabbing. The TDP president questioned that why did not the Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy acknowledge it in his election manifesto and announce it before the elections? He asked that what the government would do after farmers pay the money and land in troubles.