The Andhra Pradesh government, as part of the power sector reforms initiated by the Centre, has proposed to affix “smart meters” to all agricultural connections.
The new meters will record data on electricity consumption every 15 minutes, and the government will credit the farmer’s bank account with the amount of the bill. The farmer can then pay the bill to the relevant power distribution company (discom).
While the free power supply for nine hours will continue, albeit after being routed through a direct bank transfer (DBT), farmers are apprehensive that the government will make them pay for the installation of the new meters. The farmers are also doubtful whether they will receive the electricity bill DBT without any hiccups or conditions.
