Free Daytime Power for All Farmers Soon; Dues-Free Certificates to Be Issued

Mumbai, August 10: In a major relief to farmers across Maharashtra, the state government is working towards providing free electricity during the daytime to all farmers in the near future. The Solar Agricultural Feeder Scheme has been accelerated, with 74 per cent of farmers currently receiving daytime power. The government aims to increase this coverage to 90 per cent by the end of this year and 100 per cent by next year, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said. Fadnavis was speaking at a farmers’ gathering organised during the inauguration of various development works. 

Major relief through farm loan waiver

Fadnavis said the state government had fulfilled its commitment to farmers by announcing the biggest loan waiver so far, benefiting 56,000 farmers.

The state government spends around Rs 25,000 crore every year on providing free electricity to farmers, while it has also cleared electricity dues amounting to Rs 58,000 crore, he said. The government will now issue certificates to farmers confirming that they have no outstanding electricity dues.

Daytime power through solar agricultural feeders

The government has accelerated the implementation of the Solar Agricultural Feeder Scheme to ensure that farmers do not have to visit their fields at night for irrigation and instead receive reliable electricity during the daytime. At present, 74 per cent of farmers are receiving daytime power. The government has set a target of increasing this figure to 90 per cent by the end of this year and 100 per cent next year, Fadnavis said.

Ethanol policy strengthens sugar industry

The Chief Minister said the ethanol policy was crucial for protecting the sugar industry and safeguarding the interests of sugarcane farmers. It would be difficult to sustain the sugar industry without ethanol, he said.

Referring to discussions on social media claiming that ethanol-blended petrol could damage vehicles, Fadnavis said there was no official evidence available with petroleum companies or automobile manufacturers to support such claims.The ethanol policy has helped sustain sugar factories and enabled them to pay Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) to sugarcane growers. Kolhapur district has achieved new highs in FRP payments, benefiting farmers as well as the rural economy, he said.

‘Zero Waste’ model to generate CBG and CNG

The government plans to strengthen the sugar industry through a ‘Zero Waste’ approach, under which spent wash and press mud will be used to produce Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).The additional revenue generated from these by-products will be used to strengthen the financial position of sugar factories and support the payment of FRP to farmers.