Congress defends Farmer Discom proposal

Bhongir Lok Sabha member Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy and MLC Addanki Dayakar said electricity charges have increased from ₹1,595 crore in 2014 to ₹31,698 crore at present.

Northern Power Distribution Company Limited (NPDCL), which was ranked ninth in the country in 2014, has slipped to 54th position, while Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (SPDCL) has fallen from 16th to 42nd position during the BRS regime, severely affecting the power sector, Mr. Discom said while defending the state government’s proposal to set up a stand-alone farm.

Attending a public hearing organized by the Electricity Regulatory Commission (ERC), senior Congress leaders accused BRS of spreading misinformation and politicizing the issue for narrow political gains.

Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the opposition parties are making speculative allegations without understanding the financial situation of the power companies. “Farmer Discom is being introduced to strengthen the existing power companies and provide reliable power to the agriculture sector,” he said. He alleged that the previous BRS government saddled the discoms with huge debts and the Congress government is now trying to restore financial discipline.

MLC Addanki Dayakar accused the previous BRS government of pushing discoms into a debt trap by failing to pay subsidies and electricity charges despite repeatedly demanding credit for free power supply to farmers.

“The BRS government announced free power schemes but failed to pay the dues owed to the discoms, forcing them into massive debt,” Mr. Dayakar alleged. He also clarified that the issue of smart meters arose during the tenure of BRS itself through agreements signed with the Union Ministry of Power in 2017.

Published – 29 May 2026 21:17 IST