Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to providing 24×7 free electricity to farmers and challenged the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to stake its political future on the issue. He dismissed claims that the Congress government plans to withdraw the scheme or install smart meters on agricultural pump sets.
“The Congress holds the patent to the free power scheme,” CM Revanth Reddy said, asserting that the policy, introduced by Congress, has become a pillar of Telangana’s agriculture. He challenged BRS leaders to publicly declare that they would not contest the next Assembly elections if the Congress government failed to honour its promise of uninterrupted free power to farmers. He added that Congress would similarly refrain from contesting if it ever reneged on the commitment.
Rejecting smart‑meter rumours and blaming past administration
The Chief Minister dismissed allegations about installing smart meters on agricultural pump sets, calling such claims unfounded. He criticised the previous BRS government for what he described as financial mismanagement of power utilities and said the former administration had begun processes related to smart‑meter rollouts through an agreement signed with the Centre in 2017, according to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
Telangana’s free electricity scheme: What farmers get and how it works
Telangana provides 24×7 unmetered free electricity to farmers for agricultural pumping since January 1, 2018, covering all registered agricultural connections with no unit limit or bill amount—it is fully free for bona fide farming use. This is separate from the Gruha Jyothi scheme, which offers up to 200 units per month of free power for domestic (household) consumption only, beyond which the entire usage is charged at the regular tariff, and it explicitly excludes agricultural connections. Thus, for farmers, the agricultural power supply is given free of cost without a per-user cap, but the major cost to the government arises because the supply is unmetered and around 29 lakh farm connections are covered; the state is now allocating Rs 1,300 crore to track farm power use and tighten subsidy accounting. Consumer eligibility and benefits for farmers are administered through the state’s agriculture power supply framework, while the Gruha Jyothi benefit applies only to households with white ration cards for residential connections
Demand for MSP procurement, threat of protest
Revanth Reddy also accused the BJP‑led central government of failing to protect farmers’ interests on procurement. He warned that if the Centre did not procure paddy by June 15 and buy other crops at announced Minimum Support Prices (MSP), farmers’ produce would be dumped outside the residences of BJP and BRS leaders. “The Centre must procure all crops for which it announces MSP,” he said, as quoted in the CMO release.
Proposal for a Rythu Discom to boost transparency
To improve transparency in power procurement and distribution for agriculture and irrigation, the Chief Minister announced a proposal to establish a Rythu Discom. The CMO said the proposed utility would leverage surplus renewable energy, reduce the fiscal burden on the government and strengthen power distribution companies servicing the farm sector.
Rising consumption and commitment to rural prosperity
The CMO noted that Telangana’s power consumption has risen from 15,000 MW to 18,000 MW, reflecting stronger economic activity and agricultural demand. Revanth Reddy reiterated the government’s focus on protecting farmers’ interests and promoting rural prosperity through uninterrupted power supply and agriculture‑centric welfare measures.