YSRCP leader Vaddi Raghuram alleged GO 57 imposes a major Power Factor burden on aqua farmers and demanded immediate implementation of the promised Rs. 1.50 electricity subsidy.
Tadepalli: YSRCP Tadepalligudem constituency coordinator and former APSADA Vice-Chairman Vaddi Raghuram accused the Andhra Pradesh coalition government of failing to provide genuine relief to aqua farmers and alleged that new conditions attached to electricity subsidies could impose a substantial financial burden on small cultivators.
Addressing the media at the YSRCP Central Office, Raghuram alleged that GO 57 merely repackaged provisions of an earlier GO 169 and did not provide the relief promised to aqua farmers.
Raghuram claimed that aqua farmers would be required to maintain a Power Factor between 0.92 and 0.95 until March 2027 to avail the electricity benefit.
He alleged that small aqua farmers could be forced to spend nearly Rs. 50,000 per hectare on equipment to meet the requirement.
According to his estimate, the condition could create a collective financial burden of around Rs. 1,000 crore across nearly two lakh hectares.
Raghuram demanded that the government withdraw the Power Factor condition and provide the promised subsidy without imposing additional financial pressure on farmers.
The YSRCP leader said the coalition government had promised electricity at Rs. 1.50 per unit to all eligible aqua farmers, irrespective of whether their farms were located in aqua or non-aqua zones.
He alleged that the commitment had not been implemented in full.
Raghuram demanded that the subsidy be adjusted directly in electricity bills from June and that the benefit be extended to the remaining 12,000 connections.
He claimed that during the government led by former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, around 50,800 of 64,000 connections were brought under the aqua zone and approximately Rs. 3,640 crore was provided as power subsidy over five years.
Raghuram said aqua farmers were facing pressure from rising shrimp feed costs and declining shrimp prices.
He referred to protests in which farmers allegedly dumped tonnes of shrimp on roads and questioned what measures the government had taken to address the crisis.
He also questioned the outcome of the government's meetings in Delhi and demanded clarity on whether concrete steps had been taken to reduce feed prices.
Raghuram claimed that shrimp prices for the 100-count category increased from Rs. 245 to Rs. 275 following Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy's visit to Bhimavaram.
He similarly claimed that tobacco prices increased from around Rs. 260 to Rs. 300 following Jagan's visit to Devarapalli.
He cited the price movements while arguing that government intervention was necessary to protect farmers from market volatility.
Raghuram warned that YSRCP would launch a large-scale agitation across the coastal corridor under the leadership of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy if the Power Factor condition was not withdrawn and the promised electricity subsidies were not implemented.
He demanded immediate action on electricity pricing, feed costs and market conditions, arguing that aqua farmers needed practical financial relief rather than revised government orders.
The allegations regarding GO 57, the Power Factor requirement, subsidy implementation and the financial burden on aqua farmers are claims made by YSRCP leader Vaddi Raghuram. The figures and allegations have not been independently verified in this report.
7 days ago
