Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka stated that the Congress party is deeply associated with electricity, noting that all power projects in Telangana State were started and finished during the party's governance.

Speaking at a public gathering in Khammam district headquarters on Wednesday after inaugurating the 1912 Electricity Ambulance Services and a health camp for electricity department employees, Bhatti Vikramarka stated that from the first to the seventh phase of the Kothagudem Thermal Power Station, all were undertaken and completed under Congress governance.

He criticised that in ten years of BRS rule, not a single unit of electricity was added, and though some projects were started, none were completed. The BRS government failed to provide a coherent energy policy, leading to confusion in the sector, Bhatti Vikramarka said.

With the Congress government coming to power, the implementation of development programs has increased electricity demand. During BRS rule, the demand in March 2023 was 15,000 MW, but under Congress, it rose to 17,162 MW by March 2025. Despite the additional 2,000 MW demand compared to the previous government, uninterrupted power supply was maintained.

He assured that the electricity department is fully prepared to meet the growing power demand. According to a central government agency’s report, Telangana will require 26,299 MW by 2029-30 and 33,773 MW by 2034-35. The state government is already preparing estimates to double production in view of this future demand. The Congress-led government has introduced the New Green Energy Policy – 2025 and has signed production agreements worth Rs.1 lakh crore. The goal is to produce 20,000 MW of green energy by 2029-30, he said.

Bhatti Vikramarka emphasised that the State currently supplies free electricity to 29,000 agricultural pump sets 24/7. For this, the government pays Rs.11,500 crore annually on behalf of farmers to the electricity department. Additionally, households eligible for up to 200 units of free electricity are benefitting, with over 50.71 lakh poor families availing this scheme. The finance department pays Rs.2,293 crore to power utilities for this purpose.

He added that the government is supplying electricity to 29,018 government educational institutions, for which Rs.198 crore is being paid by the finance department. Overall, to financially support the poor and ease the burden on families sending their children to public schools, the finance department is paying a total of Rs.13,992 crore every year to electricity companies under free electricity schemes.

To improve services to consumers, a new 1912 Electricity Ambulance Service has been launched, similar to the 108 medical emergency service. Consumers can dial 1912 from anywhere if there’s a power issue. An engineer, a technician, a transformer, ladder, and electric cables will reach the location within minutes. This service is now available across the state, Bhatti Vikramarka said.

He appreciated the electricity staff for providing quality services round the clock, even during midnight and emergencies. Despite floods and surging demand, they ensured uninterrupted power supply. The Deputy Chief Minister assured that officials are available to hear any issues faced by the employees, and as the Minister in charge, he is always ready to allocate time to address concerns. He criticised the previous administration, stating that employees did not even have a chance to voice their issues back then.

Bhatti Vikramarka instructed electricity staff to strictly follow safety protocols during duty. Those protocols have now been communicated down to the linemen level. In case of any unfortunate incident while on duty, the staff is now covered under an accident insurance scheme of Rs.1 crore -a scheme unmatched by any other state in the country, he added.