Indian state cuts free power to farmers

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2005

BOMBAY (AFP) — The western Indian state of Maharashtra said it has decided to cut free power to 2.5 million farmers and asked a consortium to revive a mothballed power plant built by now bankrupt US energy giant Enron.

"Free power currently supplied to farmers will be stopped from next month," said Vilasrao Deshmukh, chief minister of Maharashtra, India's most industrialised state.

The Congress-led state government fulfilled an election pledge in 2004 and gave free power to farmers in the state.

Briefing reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting, Deshmukh said farmers would be charged between 500 rupees (11.4 dollars) to 900 rupees (20.5 dollars) every month for electricity consumed while operating water pumps to irrigate fields.

He also said the...

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