Gujarat govt announces new agriculture power scheme

Keeping the growing demand for electricity connection among farmers in the state, the Gujarat government today announced an 'Immediate Power Connection Scheme 2013'. The new scheme will look to offer new power connections to farmers in the state.

"In a bid to satisfy farmers' growing demand for power connections and to make avail ample power for agricultural production, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has announced a new agri-related power connection scheme," said Saurabh Patel, energy minister, Government of Gujarat.

Patel said that earlier farmers had applied for new agri-related power connection under a general scheme till March 31, 2013. "All the farmers under the general scheme can now avail power connection under the new immediate scheme," he said.

Farmers would be required to apply for a new agri power connection at the local sub-division office between November 1 and December 15, 2013. Moreover, at the payment of ' 500, their applications under the general scheme will be converted into the immediate power connection scheme 2013.

Under the new immediate power connection scheme, applicants will have to bear 80 per cent of the power connection cost and will also have to adopt drip irrigation technique. "With the growing agriculture production in the state, demand for agri-related electricity demand has also been increasing in Gujarat. The new immediate scheme has been launched keeping the growing demand among Gujarat farmers in mind. In the previous fiscal, about 100,000 new electricity connections were given out by the Gujarat government whereas a similar amount of new connections will be given out in the current fiscal as well," Patel added in an official communique.