The Rajasthan government will issue over 4.88 lakh new and pending agriculture power connections in the next two years, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Wednesday.
Gehlot said that his government is committed to providing cheap electricity to farmers along with an uninterrupted power supply in the state.
He was addressing the review meeting of the Energy Department at the Chief Minister's residence on Wednesday.
Gehlot said that due to efficient power management of the state government, there was a minimum power cut in the state despite the scorching heat.
The chief minister directed the officials of the Energy Department not to compromise on the quality along with releasing the agriculture connections on a war footing.
It was informed in the meeting that a target has been set to release over 2.31 lakh agriculture connections for the first phase (2022-23) and over 2.58 lakh new agriculture connections in the second phase (2023-24).
The Chief Minister said that the state government is paying special attention to the distribution as well as generation and transmission of electricity. Its network is being strengthened by developing new electric grids, lines, and sub-stations all over Rajasthan, he said in a statement.
The Chief Minister said that new options are being explored to reduce dependence on coal by using lignite instead, which is abundant in the state.
He directed the officers to conduct surveys to assess lignite as a long-term solution and for its full utilization.
