Andhra to install 18 lakh smart meters on farm motors

Press Trust of India

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government will install as many as 18 lakh smart meters on farm electric motors within a year, including spending Rs 4,000 crore to procure allied material, said an official. The state will follow the guidelines issued by the Central Government and Central Electricity Authority (CEA), even as these smart meters are aimed at arresting power theft among several other benefits, he said.

The official highlighted that farmers do not have any doubts over them and asserted that the government has received their stamp of approval. "Nearly 16.5 lakh farmers have extended support to smart meters and the government will bear the cost of installing them," K Vijayanand, special chief secretary, Energy Department, said in a statement on Tuesday night.

He noted that the Centre will give a grant of Rs 1,600 crore for the smart meters and allied materials while a pilot project under this scheme tested in Srikakulam district had succeeded with only 6.6 per cent out of the 29,000 connections ceasing to function.

Further, listing the benefits of these modern meters, Vijayanand said deficiencies in meters can be easily detected and rectified at multiple levels, including assessing the state of power availability at all times which bolsters the ability to buy or sell power in the market. Moreover, smart meters relay data at 15-minute intervals as well as offer the flexibility to operate them from anywhere.

He observed that the state government and distribution companies (discoms) have decided to install these meters only after evaluating their feasibility, which will enable the farmers to learn as to what amount of subsidy the state is offering them on a monthly basis and the quantum of power being consumed.

Once smart meters are installed, Vijayanand said farmers will be empowered to question the discoms and officials on the quality of power being transmitted. However, he condemned the alleged false propaganda aimed at tarnishing the initiative of installing smart meters, which is unnecessarily confusing the farmers.

According to the special chief secretary, AP government has started several schemes for the welfare of farmers, one of which is the smart meters. Vijayanand claimed that unlike any other state in the country, AP has confirmed the smart meters tender document only after obtaining the green signal following a judicial review