The Hindu Business Line : Call to charge water supply to farmers

DR Siripurapu K. Rao, Principal of Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), has called for pricing of water for agricultural sector to check against excessive withdrawal of ground water.

"We are on the brink of turning many areas in the countryside into barren lands. Farmers need to learn to move on to cultivating less water-intensive crops if the desertification of the countryside is to be stopped," he said.

Dr Rao was delivering the keynote address at the two-day national seminar on `Electric entities: New models' here on Thursday. The seminar is being organised to mark the 103rd birth anniversary of legendary engineer and former Union Minister, the late Mr K. L. Rao.

"There is no price at all attached to the use of water in Andhra Pradesh. It makes sense to have a system of progressive charges for the power used to run a pump set so that farmers learn to economise on the use of water," he said.

"The initial slab of power might be given free, so that the poorest farmers who do not consume much power end up being subsidised by the richer farmers," he felt.

Asserting that free power to all farmers was no answer to the problems that dogged them, he pointed out that the money spent on free power should be spent on pro-poor policies that improve their livelihoods.

Mr R. P. Singh, Chairman and Managing Director of Power Grid Corporation of India, said providing power to the agriculture sector at cheaper rates during off-peak hours would greatly reduce strain on the grid. "States should introduce availability-based tariff. Agricultural sector deserves a favoured tariff as it helps in efficient operation of the power system," he said.

More Stories on : Water | Andhra Pradesh

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