U.P. CM slashes tube well electricity rates by half to woo farmers

Step taken to tackle Akhilesh’s promise of free power to households and irrigation

In what appears to be a step taken to tackle the Samajwadi Party’s promise of providing 300 units of free electricity to domestic households and irrigation, the BJP government on Thursday announced a 50% rebate in electricity rates for farmers and urban users who own private tube wells.

The decision would benefit 13 lakh consumers, the State government said.

The electricity rates would be halved for metered, unmetered and energy-efficient pumps in rural areas and metered tube wells in urban areas, the BJP government said.