The Telangana government has made great progress in providing uninterrupted 24-hour electricity to all sectors, including free electricity to agriculture. This is a big achievement as no other government has been able to solve the problem of electricity in 60 years of administration. The Telangana model of providing free electricity to farmers has become a topic of discussion across the country. The government spends Rs 12,000 crore annually for free electricity for farmers, and there is no crop or power holiday in Telangana.
Telangana has increased its installed power generation capacity from 7,778 mw in 2014 to 18,453 mw now, with solar power production increasing from 74 mw to 5,741 mw. Telangana is leading in solar power generation in the country. The government adopted a three-pronged strategy to develop the power sector by improving internal efficiency in the organisation, increasing the plant load factor and avoiding losses in distribution. The government has built new power stations to solve the problem permanently.
The construction of Yadadri Ultra Mega Power Plant by TS Genco in Damaracherla, with a production capacity of 4,000 mw, has reached the final stage and will be operational soon. Telangana is ahead in per capita consumption of electricity and is the only state which provides 24-hour free electricity to agriculture by providing a subsidy of Rs 36,890 crore for free supply from 2014-15 to 2021-22.
The officials said after emergence of Telangana the agriculture landscape has changed with pro-agriculture policies. Telangana is the only State in the country which is providing free power supply to 26.96 lakh agri electricity consumers for 24 hours. The peak demand of 14,160 mw is also being met and industries are now working fully with 24-hour supply, providing continuous employment. Telangana has become number one in the country in terms of per capita electricity consumption growth.
