CHANDIGARH:Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday directed PSPCL to ensure 8-hours of uninterrupted power supply to farmers, and purchase deficient power from outside the state at any cost to prevent any supply disruption in the ongoing sowing season.
Chairing a high level meeting to review the power supply to the farmers during the ongoing kharif season, the Chief Minister also directed the Finance Department to release Rs. 500 crore to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to tide over the financial crunch faced amid the pandemic. Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who was present at the meeting, assured that his department would release these funds without delay.
PSPCL earlier informed the meeting that it was facing a severe financial crunch as a result of slowdown in consumption and revenue collection in the last one year due to the pandemic crisis.
Reiterating his government’s commitment to providing continuous 8-hour supply to farmers in Punjab for sowing their crops, the Chief Minister directed PSPCL to purchase deficient power, if needed from outside the state at any cost, to meet the government’s commitment to the farmers. There should be no disruption of power supply to the farmers, he added.