Agriculture power tariff for allied sector

Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday cleared the provision of Rs-1.16-crore annual subsidy for metered electricity supply at agriculture power (AP) tariff to the allied sector.

Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday cleared the provision of Rs-1.16-crore annual subsidy for metered electricity supply at agriculture power (AP) tariff to the allied sector.

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The money goes to dairy farming, goat rearing, piggery, fish farming and fruit and vegetable cultivation. "Earlier, the allied agriculture sector paid power tariff applicable to small-scale industry but that's reduced to the rates for running agricultural tube-wells," power secretary Anirudh Tiwari said here.

Earlier, the CM met with agriculture experts and allied-sector farmers who demanded the AP tariff. Financial commissioner, development (FCD), took up the matter with power secretary subsequently, who sent the proposal to the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) for approval.

The PSERC allowed the state government to extend this facility to the allied farming sector to encourage diversification and directed the state government to incur the entire subsidy of Rs. 1.16 crore per annum for making the payment to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).