YSR Nine Hours Free Power Supply Scheme
Nine hours of free, daytime, quality electricity supply every day for a registered agricultural pump connection.
Run by: Energy Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh
- Free hours
- 9 hours/day, daytime
- Running since
- 2004, at 7 hrs/day originally
- Annual cost
- ~₹4,525 crore
- Beneficiaries
- ~18.15 lakh farmers
- Aqua farmers
- ₹1.50/unit, ~53,649 connections
Overview
Andhra Pradesh supplies free power to farm pump connections during fixed daytime hours, so irrigation pumping doesn't compete with the farmer's other daily work the way night-time supply would, and the farmer pays nothing for the metered units used within the scheme.
The scheme traces back to 2004, when the late Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy's government began supplying farm pumps 7 hours of free power a day, a flagship promise from that year's election. The daily window was later extended to 9 hours, and the scheme is still recorded in official orders under its formal name, the YSR Nine Hours Free Power Supply Scheme, even though the public-facing branding has shifted across successive governments.
The subsidy cost is fully absorbed by the state budget and paid to the discoms on the farmer's behalf, not billed to the farmer at all. The outlay has grown enormously over two decades — from about ₹400 crore when the scheme began in 2004 to roughly ₹6,000 crore by 2013 — and the recent budget cycle set aside around ₹4,525 crore to cover about 18.15 lakh farm connections.
A related but separate track covers aqua farmers — fish and shrimp pond operators — who are not part of the free 9-hour window but draw power at a subsidised ₹1.50 per unit instead; around 53,649 aqua connections are billed at this rate. Alongside the subsidy, the state has also been upgrading rural transformers and feeder lines, since free hours are only useful to a farmer if the supply actually reaching the pump is stable.
What you get
The benefit as the state notifies it — nothing here is an estimate.
- Nine hours of completely free electricity every day for agricultural pumping.
- Daytime supply schedule so pumping doesn't clash with other farm work at night.
- State pays the subsidy directly to discoms — no bill burden passed to the farmer for the covered units.
- Covers about 18.15 lakh farm connections across Andhra Pradesh in the recent budget cycle.
- Aqua farmers (fish and shrimp ponds) draw power on a separate subsidised ₹1.50/unit rate, even though they sit outside the free 9-hour window.
- Rural transformer and feeder upgrades run alongside the subsidy, aimed at making the free hours reliable rather than just notified on paper.
Who is eligible
State schemes usually state their criteria as prose rather than a checklist. This is that prose, unpacked — the department’s verification is what decides.
You qualify if
- Farmer with a registered agricultural pump connection in Andhra Pradesh
- Connection categorised under the agricultural tariff with the local discom
- Usage within the free-supply hours and terms notified by the discom
- Aqua farmers apply separately, under the subsidised ₹1.50/unit rate, not the free-hours track meant for pump-set irrigation
Not covered
- Non-agricultural or commercial power connections
- Usage beyond the notified free-supply terms may attract normal billing
Documents you need
Have these ready before you start — most rejections are a missing paper, not a missing right.
- Aadhaar card
- Electricity connection/service number
- Land record showing agricultural use
How to apply
Fewer steps than a central scheme, and usually one office rather than a portal.
- 1
Confirm the connection category
Check with the local discom that the pump connection is registered under the agricultural tariff.
- 2
Receive daytime supply
Power is supplied free during the notified 9-hour daytime window without a separate monthly application.
If something goes wrong
Missing from the list, or payment stuck — here is the channel the department itself publishes for it.
- A power cut inside your free 9-hour window, a transformer fault, or a wrong bill on the free units — call 1912, the common 24-hour toll-free complaint number shared by all three AP discoms (APSPDCL, APEPDCL, APCPDCL).
- Keep your service or connection number ready when you call — the discom logs the fault against that number, not your name, and can tell you the expected resolution time for your area.
- If a discom complaint goes unresolved, escalate through Spandana, the state's Aadhaar-linked public grievance system, either online at spandana.ap.gov.in or by calling 1902 — you get a tracking number and the case moves to a higher authority if you reopen it as unsatisfied.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to apply every year for the free power?
No, it applies automatically to registered agricultural connections; there is no annual re-application.
Is the power free at any time of day?
No, it is free for the notified 9-hour daytime supply window specifically.
What happens if I use power beyond the free hours?
Usage outside the agricultural free-supply schedule is billed as per the applicable tariff — check with the discom for exact terms.
Is this the same as the "7-hour free power" scheme older farmers remember?
It is the same scheme, extended. It began in 2004 giving 7 hours of free daily power and was later increased to 9 hours; it is still recorded in government orders under its formal name, the YSR Nine Hours Free Power Supply Scheme.
Do aqua farmers with fish or shrimp ponds also get free power?
Not the same free 9-hour window. Aqua farmers are billed separately at a subsidised ₹1.50 per unit, and around 53,649 aqua connections currently draw that rate.
My supply keeps tripping during the free window — who do I call?
Call 1912, the toll-free complaint line common to all three AP discoms, and report it against your service connection number so the fault is logged and tracked.
Facts checked against energy.ap.gov.in on 8 September 2026. editorial policy.