32,739 villages across the country still in the dark

Rural electrification scheme yet to provide power to many areas

Despite the UPA government implementing the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY), aimed at providing electricity in rural areas, people in 32,739 villages across the country are still living in the dark — they are yet to get a power connection.

 
As per the latest report by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) on the situation of rural electrification, Uttar Pradesh lagged the most, with 10,826 villages yet to get power, followed by Odisha (10,029 villages), Jharkhand (3,163) and Bihar (1,846). In Karnataka, 13 villages are yet to get electricity.

Interestingly, eight states — Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Kerala, Haryana, Goa, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh — have achieved 100 per cent electricity penetration, while six union territories, including Chandigarh and Puducherry, too, have provided power to all residents.

As per the 2001 census, total inhabited villages in the country is 5,93,732. Though the UPA governmen, in April 2005, launched the ambitious RGGVY, it failed to achieve its target due to tardy progress.

The scheme was supposed to supply electricity connections to 1.18 lakh villages by end of March 2009, and improve supply to 3.83 lakh partially-covered villages. Its target was also to provide free power connections to 2.77 crore households, including those in backward regions.

However, as per the data available with the government till July 31, 2013, electricity connections were provided to 1.07 lakh villages, almost three lakh partially-covered villages now have complete access, and free connections have been provided to 2.11 crore BPL households. Hit by delay in execution of the flagship scheme, now the Ministry of Power has decided to speed up its the roll-out ahead of 2014 general election.

The revamp includes web-based monitoring of the progress of projects, release of funds linked to achievement of pre-determined milestones, and electronic transfer of funds right up to the contractor-level, among others.

Admitting delay in scheme in some parts of the country, Minister of State for Power Jyotiraditya M Scindia recently informed Parliament that it had happened mainly due to not getting forest clearances, delay in land acquisition, difficult terrain and Maoist violence.

The execution of the scheme was severely hit in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir and north-eastern states, said the minister. The Centre is pursuing the states governments to make progress, he added.

State governments, which are implementing the project, get a 90 per cent grant from the Central government, and the remaining 10 per cent as a loan from Rural Electrification Corp, the nodal agency for the programme.
DH News Service