AN OVERVIEW OF ELECTRICITY SECTOR AND ITS LINKAGES WITHSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA

The agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy. The main resource for effective agriculture is timely and adequate supply of water. As a result, irrigation has gained importance. Ground water as a source of irrigation is more important as compared to canal irrigation since farmers have better control over water availability. Thus more than 30% of the farmers are dependent on electric water pumps for irrigation, who are consuming highest electricity as compared to any other fields.