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U.P. Budget 2024-25: ₹3, 800 cr for smooth supply in summer, concessional power to farmers
The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has allocated funds worth ₹3,800 crore for round-the-clock power supply and concessional rates for farmers in its annual budget. The allocation for continuous power supply during the upcoming summer is 33% higher than the current year, while the expenditure for subsidised electricity for farmers is 20% higher. The government aims to increase the state's transmission capacity to 31,500 MW by the financial year 2023-2024 and targets to generate 22,000 MW of renewable electricity in the next five years.
In its annual Budget presented in the Vidhan Sabha here on Monday, the Yogi Adityanath government earmarked funds worth ₹3,800 crore to ensure round-the-cock power supply in summer and electricity to farmers at a concessional rate. The Budget has proposed ₹2,000 crore to ensure a continuous power supply during the upcoming summer in the state.
The allocation is 33% more compared to the current year. The government has also proposed an expenditure of ₹1,800 crore for supplying electricity at subsidised rates to private tube well consumers (farmers) and this is 20% more than the one provided in the current year’s Budget.
In the financial year 2023-24, from April to December, electricity was supplied for 18 hours in rural areas, 21:34 hours in tehsil areas and 24 hours at the district headquarters. Finance minister Suresh Khanna in his budget speech said that 1,21,324 ‘majras’ (hamlets) had been electrified since 2017-18.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA), according to him, free electricity connections had been provided to economically disadvantaged households and electricity connections to other rural families in 10 monthly instalment of ₹50. Under this scheme, electricity connections were given to 62.18 lakh willing households.
The transmission system’s total capacity, at 16,348 MW in the financial year 2016-17, increased to 28,900 MW in the year 2022-23. The target is set to further increase to 31,500 MW by the financial year 2023-2024. Under the Green Energy Corridor-2 project of the government of India, the development of a 4000 MW capacity solar park is targeted for solar energy production in Bundelkhand region of the state.
“In the financial year 2016-2017, the total electricity production of the units of Utpadan Nigam Limited was 33,556 million units, and in the financial year 2022-23, the production increased to 39,746 million units,” the minister said highlighting the progress made in the field of electricity in the state.
Under PM KUSUM Component C-1, ₹100 crore has been proposed for solarisation of private on-grid pumps, which is double as compared to the current year.
Also, an amount of ₹60 crore has been proposed for the implementation of Uttar Pradesh State Bio-Energy Policy-2022, which is 33 percent more than the current year.
The minister pointed out that under Uttar Pradesh Solar Energy Policy-2022, the target was to generate 22,000 MW of renewable electricity in the next five years. In 2017, there were 288 MW solar energy projects in the state which is now around 2600 MW.
“Till now, 328 MW solar rooftop projects have been installed in the state. Ayodhya and Varanasi cities are being developed as model solar cities. Installation of about 3.35 lakh solar street light plants so far to facilitate community street lighting in rural areas,” the minister said.
