Weeks before announcement of the Lok Sabha elections, the Uttar Pradesh government, in its cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday, decided to waive electricity bills of farmers with private tube wells with retrospective effect from April 1, 2023.
The decision will benefit around 1.5 crore farmers of the state. The government has provided Rs 1,800 crore in the 2024-2025 budget for implementation of the scheme.
Furthermore, the government has put forth a proposal for a scheme aimed at assisting farmers with outstanding electricity bills predating April 1, 2023, in bill settlement without accruing interest and offering them convenient installment options.
About the decision following the cabinet meeting at Lok Bhawan in Lucknow, Energy Minister AK Sharma said that with this announcement, the government has kept its promise of providing 100 per cent exemption from power tariff to the farmers owning private tube wells in the state.
He added: “There are about 14.73 lakh private tube wells in rural areas and 5,188 in urban areas of the state. During our tenure, we have converted about 200 gram panchayats into nagar gram panchayats, eliminating the difference between the two. As such, a total of 14.78 lakh tube wells will benefit from the cabinet decision.”
According to Sharma, on an average, 8 to 10 farmers benefit from one tube well in terms of irrigation of their fields and thus, the total number of beneficiaries of the scheme will reach about 1.5 crore in Uttar Pradesh.
“If we consider an average family size of five members per farmer, approximately 6-7 crore individuals stand to benefit from this scheme. For outstanding dues predating this date, we are devising an interest-free scheme, which will be rolled out soon,” he pointed out.
He noted that the chief minister had earlier made a provision of Rs 2,400 crore for this scheme in 2023-24.
Energy Minister AK Sharma and Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi also expressed gratitude to CM Yogi for this decision in the interest of the farmers.
In another decision, the cabinet approved the proposal for setting up two units of 800 MW each with the help of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in Anpara.
Sharma said that two MoUs were signed with NTPC in the ‘Global Investors Summit 2023’, of which the first proposal to set up two 800 MW units in Obra D was approved by the cabinet last year itself, while the second to establish two 800 MW plants got the cabinet’s nod on Tuesday.
This initiative will advance through a 50-50 partnership between the state government and NTPC. The total project cost amounts to Rs 8,624 crore, with the first unit expected to be operational in about 50 months, followed by the second in 56 months. The financial structure involves 30 per cent equity shared between the state government and NTPC, while the remaining 70 per cent will be financed through loans. The coal mine will be acquired from NCL, which is located nearby, paving the way for production of cost-effective electricity.
State Capital Region
The Yogi government also approved the proposal related to the formation of Uttar Pradesh State Capital Region and other regional development authorities. This ordinance seeks to advance development projects through collaboration and coordination among all authorities, while ensuring the preservation of their respective entities. The primary aim is to foster planned development akin to the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR).
Notably, recognising the necessity for organised growth within the state capital region, particularly in districts like Barabanki, Rae Bareli, Hardoi, Sitapur, and Unnao neighbouring Lucknow, there has been a long-standing demand to curtail unplanned development.
