Andhra Pradesh government to provide 50,000 new farm pumpsets

VIJAYAWADA: The state government on Wednesday issued orders releasing 50,000 more agricultural pumpsets. Earlier, it released 50,000 agriculture pumpsets. All these connections will be released before March 31.
Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed power utilities to issue directions to field staff across the state for compliance of the deadline. He said the government is ready to bear Rs 6,030 crore as subsidy for farmers.
“The government is spending Rs 5.22 lakh per farmer under various initiatives, including free power” Naidu said.
Naidu claimed that the state government had become a role model to other states in the country in implementing exclusive welfare schemes for the farming community, including waiver of farm loans, free power for agriculture pumpsets, input subsidy, tractors and agriculture tools at subsidy rate.
Andhra Pradesh has achieved 17.76 per cent GVA (gross value added) growth rate in the farming sector in 2017-18 against India’s average of 6.32. The state has now targeted 22.66 per cent growth rate in 2018-19. With the completion of Polavaram and other irrigation projects, the agriculture sector will see a drastic change in future” Naidu said during a teleconference with officials.
Energy minister K Kala Venkata Rao said 50,000 agriculture services were released till October 31 at a cost of Rs 254.2 crore.
Energy principal secretary Ajay Jain said the government decided to replace 75,000 solar pumpsets in the state with an estimated project cost of Rs 2,625 crore. The government would spend Rs 3.5 lakh per pumpset.