RK Singh holds review meeting with Power Ministers of the region
Agencies
GUWAHATI, December 03 2021: RK Singh, Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy held a review meeting with the Power Ministers and concerned officers of North Eastern states here today. The meeting was held to discuss the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme.
Singh in his address said that power is the key to development and a country can’t develop until and unless it has a seamless power supply. He further said that power is the most crucial element when it comes to the establishment of industries which is the core factor in a nation’s progress.
Power sector has witnessed tremendous growth over the past few years in the areas of generation, transmission and distribution and the objective is to give 24×7 power supply to every household in the rural and urban areas of the country and to make India a world leader in power production, he added.
The minister informed that the availability of power in the country including North East has gone up to an average of around 21 hours per day in rural areas and 23 hours in urban areas.
Mentioning about the power system in the North East region the minister said that in the past three-four years the power system in the North East has developed tremendously and almost all states in the region have managed to revamp their power system. Today the power system in the North East is very different than what it was 4 years back, he added.
Emphasising on the need to modernize the system Singh elaborated that in order to reduce losses, States need to focus on Improving Billing Efficiency and ensuring timely payment for electricity consumption by Government Departments. The minister said that with planning and sincerity in implementation, an operationally efficient and financially sustainable electricity distribution sector can be developed using this scheme, to meet the aspirations of citizens of the country.
The Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma, Power Minister of the State Bimal Bora and Secretary, Ministry of Power, Government of India were also present in the meeting.
The Central Government has approved a Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme- a Reforms-based and Results-linked Scheme with an outlay of Rs3,03,758 crore over a period of five years from FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26 with the objective to improve the quality, reliability and affordability of power supply to consumers through a financially sustainable and operationally efficient distribution sector.