Govt aims at 24x7 power supply, says prime minister

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his government was aiming to provide 24-hour power supply across the country as he outlined his vision for infrastructure development with a nationwide network of roads, power transmission lines, power and water grids.

The prime minister made these statements while laying down the foundation stone for the four-lane Solapur-Maharashtra/Karnataka border section of National Highway 9.

“The dream of my government is to provide electricity all seven days a week, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day to every village,” Modi said to the gathering after dedicating to the nation the 765 KV Solapur-Raichur transmission lines and the border section of NH 9.

He also stressed on the importance of saving electricity and equated it to serving the nation. “Electricity is produced and then supplied, but one more important task is that of saving it. Some people think that to serve the country one has to become an MLA or MP or join the defence forces. Saving electricity it is also a big service to the country.”

The prime minister asked students and youth to check their monthly electricity bills and discuss how to bring down power consumption with their family members. “Let us pledge to conserve electricity. It will help our families the most. We should consider it our national duty,” he said.

Modi also touched upon the issue of power plants in the state remaining idle due to shortage of coal and gas. “As Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan was saying, I can understand the problem. I said the same thing (about unavailability of coal and gas) when I was the chief minister of Gujarat but nobody paid heed.

“Now it is our responsibility. I will not run away from the responsibility. Using innovative technology, coal excavation would be done without adversely affecting the environment and we will work towards ensuring that power reaches every corner of the country.”