India, Feb. 11 -- The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) says it is making a shift to purchasing solar power for agricultural pumps, which would ultimately benefit industrial consumers, who are cross-subsiding irrigation for farmers. This shift is expected to reduce the Rs.13,500-crore cross-subsidy being shouldered by industrial consumers, and make industrial tariffs in Maharashtra competitive with those of Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Spelling out MSEDCL's plans for the power sector in Maharashtra, Lokesh Chandra, Managing Director of India's largest power distribution company, told HT that by March 2026, the entire demand for electricity to power agricultural pumps in the state would be met by solar ...