Gujarat farmers no longer need co-owner's consent for agricultural power connection

The Gujarat government has introduced reforms on Tuesday to simplify the process of obtaining agricultural electricity connections.  The new rules aim to ease the difficulties faced by farmers - especially those in tribal and rural areas - when applying for power supply for farming purposes.

Until now, farmers applying for new agricultural electricity connections were required to submit consent letters from all co-owners listed in the 7/12 land extract on notarised stamp paper.

This condition often created hurdles, particularly in tribal regions where land ownership is commonly shared among multiple heirs but not formally partitioned in revenue records.

Many farmers, despite having internal arrangements, struggled to get the necessary documentation in order.

Following representations from legislators and farmer groups, the state government has amended the regulation.

As per the new provision, applicants will no longer be required to submit consent from co-owners. Instead, a self-declaration by the applicant on notarised stamp paper will be accepted as valid.

Gujarat’s Energy Minister Kanubhai Desai announced the changes.

Additionally, even if multiple co-owners are listed in the 7/12 extract, each of them will now be eligible to receive a separate electricity connection – regardless of the size of their landholding – provided their name is listed on the record, they have a separate water source like a well or bore, and they submit a clear map showing individual land boundaries.

However, the new rule also states that each co-owner will be eligible for only one electricity connection per survey number in their name.

(This story was taken from a syndicated feed and was only edited for style by Gujarat Samachar Digital team)