Govt keen on electrifying all villages by May 2017

The Dollar Business Bureau

Power Minister Piyush Goyal said the government will provide electricity connection to all the villages by May 2017, about a year before the 1000-day deadline established by Narendra Modi-led government. He also announced soft loans for states for undertaking this mission.

"Electrification of villages have slowed down during the last couple of months due to rain. After my discussion with the states during these two days, I am confident that all the villages will get electricity connections by May 1, 2017, which is one year before the 1000-day deadline set by our government, which ends in May 2018," Goyal said, addressing the two-day Conference of Ministers for Power, New & Renewable Energy & Mines of States & Union Territories.

"The states would get soft loans to achieve 100 per cent target of household electrification," he said to reporters.

Goyal also asked state governments to focus on hydro power projects. "I have asked the Power Finance Corporation and Rural Electrification

Corporation to see how we can start small hydro power projects. We are also mulling to consider hydro projects as part of renewable energy. During this conference, we have discussed ways to restart 22 stalled hydro projects by fetching new investment for them," he said.

Held as part of the SWITCH global expo, the conference saw discussion of several energy-related issues, including a proactive estimation of electricity demand.

Union Power Secretary P K Pujari, who was also present at the conference, said several Indian states have already taken part in the projection exercise. "This is an exercise to gauge the demand for power in the country for the next five to ten years. Based on the data about the future demand, we can estimate the capacity to be increased. We have prepared this report and discussed it today with states. Now, we will send it to them to validate the data. Then, it will be put in public domain so that experts in this field can give their suggestion before we arrive at a conclusion about the exact demand scenario," said he.