Energy minister appeals to farmers to clear pending dues

Maharashtra Energy Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule today appealed to the farmers to clear their pending power dues without payment of any penalty under the 'Mukhyamantri Krushi Sanjeevani Yojana'.
There are around 41 lakh farmers whose electricity dues are pending, the minister informed.
Addressing a press conference here, Bawankule said, to avail the benefit of the scheme the farmers should pay their current bill in the next one week.
If the bill is not cleared by next week the government will issue order for disconnection, said the minister.
The consumers, whose dues are less than Rs 30,000 will get the option of paying it in five installments, said Bawankule.

The payment dates for this dues are in December 2017, March 2018, June 2018, September 2018 and December 2018, he said.

Those consumers whose electricity bill dues are over Rs 30,000 will get an option to clear the same in 10 installments with a time span of 45 days between each installment, said the minister.
"The farmers who are eligible in this criteria will not have to pay the fine and interest on the pending dues if they make the payment in the given time frame," informed Bawankule.
He said the government is spending Rs 6.50 per unit for supplying electricity to farmers, but it is charging merely Rs 1.80 per unit from them.

The present situation is that electricity bill of Rs 19,272 crore is pending from the farmers, informed the minister, adding, in the last three years not a single electricity connection of a farmer has been disconnected by the government.
Bawankule has appealed to the farmers to pay their pending electricity bills as the government has to purchase electricity from power supply companies everyday.
"If the electricity bills are not paid by the farmers the government will not be able to purchase power which will further escalate load-shedding situation in the state," said the minister.