Pune: The 'Chief Minister Baliraja Free Electricity Scheme' has successfully provided free electricity supply to agricultural pumps of up to 7.5 horsepower for the past nine months.
This initiative is set to benefit a total of 1,218,999 agricultural pump holders in the Pune regional division.
For the electricity bills incurred from April to June, the state government has transferred ₹750.86 crore to the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL / Mahavitaran), resulting in zero electricity bills for these farmers.
Currently, Mahavitaran serves 4,741,000 agricultural pump holders across the state, which collectively consume approximately 3,92,460 lakh units of electricity annually.
Given that agriculture heavily relies on rainfall, farmers have faced numerous challenges due to irregular precipitation. In response, the state government launched the 'Chief Minister Baliraja Free Electricity Scheme' to provide essential support to farmers.
As part of this scheme, the state government has committed to supplying free electricity to agricultural pumps of up to 7.5 horsepower for 44 lakh farmers and has allocated ₹14,760 crore in subsidies to Mahavitaran to facilitate this initiative.
In Western Maharashtra, Mahavitaran currently serves 1,377,153 agricultural pump holders, with 1,218,999 of these pumps having a capacity of up to 7.5 horsepower, while 158,154 pumps exceed this capacity. The free electricity supply will continue for five years from April 2024 for these pumps.
For the April to June billing period, the state government has made a substantial contribution of ₹750.86 crore for the 1,218,999 agricultural pumps in Western Maharashtra.
Mahavitaran has confirmed that receipts for the electricity bill amounts have been duly distributed to all eligible farmers.
Statistics Highlighting the Impact:
In Pune District, out of 330,546 agricultural pump holders, 287,355 farmers received benefits totaling ₹235.71 crore.
In Satara District, from 215,209 pump holders, 199,340 farmers benefited with a total of ₹76.46 crore.
In Solapur District, of 402,012, 345,354 farmers received benefits amounting to ₹260.64 crore.
In Sangli District, from 264,106 holders, 250,636 farmers benefited with ₹127.78 crore.
In Kolhapur District, out of 165,280, 132,145 farmers benefited, totaling ₹50.25 crore.
