Bhatti rules out farm meters

metro india news I hyderabad

Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka on Friday ruled out the installation of smart meters on agricultural motors and pump sets, saying there was no question of imposing such meters on farmers under any circumstances.

Replying to members in the Legislative Council, he gave a 100 per cent assurance to farmers and their families that the government would not install meters on agricultural pump sets. “Even if the heavens and earth were to come together, or anyone exerts pressure, there will be no meters on agricultural pump sets,” he said.

Bhatti Vikramarka appealed to political parties and others not to create unnecessary fears and misconceptions among farmers by claiming that meters would be installed on agricultural motors. He said the government had already made its stand clear on the issue and there would be no change in it.

The Deputy Chief Minister clarified that there was no provision in the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) mandating the installation of meters on agricultural pump sets.

He said the previous BRS government had entered into a tripartite agreement under the UDAY scheme with the Union Ministry of Power and Telangana DISCOMs. The agreement stipulated 100 per cent metering of Distribution Transformers (DTs) by June 30, 2017. It also provided for the installation of smart meters by December 31, 2018, for consumers using more than 500 units of electricity per month, excluding agricultural consumers, and by December 31, 2019, for consumers using more than 200 units per month.

Bhatti Vikramarka reiterated that there was no provision in the RDSS scheme making metering of agricultural pump sets mandatory. He also criticised the previous BRS government for causing financial losses to the state by failing to utilise grants available from the Centre.

Govt to expedite digital health cards for employees

Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka said the government was prioritising employees’ welfare and health security and would expedite the issuance of digital health cards. He said a dedicated trust had been constituted to manage the Employees Health Scheme (EHS), with representatives of employee and teachers’ associations as members.

The Finance Department had deposited a corpus of ₹264 crore into the EHS Trust account, he said. Bhatti said a mechanism was in place to resolve implementation issues and stressed better coordination between the government and employee associations. He also urged Council members to create awareness among beneficiaries about the scheme.