Mumbai: Maharashtra govt has approved the release of Rs 143.74 crore to Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) towards providing concessional electricity tariffs to agricultural pump consumers belonging to Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities during the financial year 2026-27. The state issued a GR in this connection.The fund forms part of the Rs 594 crore budgetary provision earmarked under Tribal Development Department’s Tribal Component Programme to compensate MSEDCL for power tariff concessions extended to individual tribal beneficiary farmers operating agricultural pumps across the state.According to a govt resolution, Tribal Development Department has made Rs 143.74 crore available to Energy Department, which will now transfer the amount to MSEDCL. The state has clarified that the assistance must be utilised exclusively for subsidising electricity charges of eligible Scheduled Tribe agricultural pump consumers.Officials said the subsidy is intended to ease the financial burden on tribal farmers who depend on electric pumps for irrigation and agriculture-related activities. Govt has directed MSEDCL to ensure that the funds are used strictly for the purpose for which they have been sanctioned and to maintain accountability for expenditure.The expenditure will be booked under the designated state plan head relating to electricity tariff concessions for agricultural pump consumers under the Tribal Component Programme for 2026-27.Govt has authorised Energy Department officials to draw the funds through the treasury and transfer them to MSEDCL through cheque payment or electronic modes such as NEFT or RTGS.The resolution also stated that there are no pending utilisation certificates or claims under the scheme and that the fund release complies with the conditions laid down by Finance Department. The scheme has also been exempted from the Virtual Personal Deposit Account (VPDA) mechanism as per an earlier govt decision.The allocation is expected to help ensure continued supply of subsidised electricity to thousands of tribal farmers across Maharashtra, a senior MSEDCL official said. There has been a demand from the farmers to expedite the concessional tariffs, he added.
