Farmers Would Receive Total Of 1 Lakh Free Electricity Connections In Tamil Nadu
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Highlights
- On Thursday, the state government approved one lakh power connections for farmers as the majority of which will be free, at a cost to the exchequer of Rs 3,025 crore.
- Chief Minister M K Stalin said the government was prioritising solar energy generation and that the first solar park would be built in Tiruvarur.
Following through on its claimed farmer-friendly policy, on Thursday, the state government approved one lakh power connections for farmers as the majority of which will be free, at a cost to the exchequer of Rs 3,025 crore. Inaugurating the event in the city, Chief Minister M K Stalin said the government was prioritising solar energy generation and that the first solar park would be built in Tiruvarur.
The state government has signed an agreement with the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (Ireda) to give technical assistance in the development of renewable energy projects and the raising of Rs 1.32 lakh crore in financing.
Farmers were given 2.09 lakh free power connections by the previous DMK government, and 2.21 lakh by the AIADMK government in the last ten years. In the next four months, Stalin stated, the electrical board would supply one lakh free connections to farmers.
According to Stalin, all state ministers are in a healthy rivalry to ensure that the benefits of government reach the people. There was so much going on in every department that he was finding it difficult to launch all of the programmes due to his hectic schedule and lack of time.
He stated that providing free power connections should not give the impression that the discom is profitable. The discom was wrecked by the previous regime. That was their triumph.
The board has a debt load of Rs 1.59 lakh crore and pays interest of Rs 16,000 crore per year, Stalin said. He claimed that the AIADMK government spent a long time buying high-cost power. Thermal power plants' real coal stock did not match the values in their stock registers.
Farmers have submitted 4.32 lakh applications to Tangedco for free power connections. The previous administration was slow to provide free electricity connections to farms, but it did develop a tatkal plan that allowed farmers to receive connections right away by paying a hefty tatkal fee.
According to a senior official, several thousand farmers used that route to irrigate their farms. People's collaboration was critical in getting Tangedco out of the red, Stalin stated, and he urged the public to wield power wisely.
He said that the previous administration only added 1,481MW to the electricity producing capacity in ten years. Between 2006 and 2011, the DMK government led by late chief minister M Karunanidhi conceptualised 1,428MW, he added. He said that the AIADMK was only responsible for adding 53MW of capacity. He stated that various new projects are being planned, as well as the upkeep of power producing units.
As per him, the administration is focusing on creating 17,980MW of extra electricity producing capacity.
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