Odisha seeks Electrification of Rural Areas under Central Scheme

The Odisha Government has sought the inclusion of 16,000 residential areas (with the population of below 100) and 947 other villages into the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), as they were not included earlier in the Rajiv Gandhi Gramya Vidyutkaran Yojana (RGGVVY-II) so that people living in those areas get immediate electricity.

The proposal was made by Odisha Energy Minister Pranab Prakash Das at the two-day conference of all Energy (Power) Ministers at Guwahati, Assam on April 9 and 10. He sought Rs 8,900 crore from the centre for the electrification of remaining areas under the above schemes. He also requested the Centre to allow Odisha Government opne access in order to sell 200 MW power from the 1000 MW Jeypore-Gajuwaka transmission line.

In addition, Pranab Prakash Das has sought coal block allocation to government-run industries. He also demanded AB Cable to prevent cable theft and provide 24/7 power supply. Currently, 40,442 villages have complete access to power supply, while 51,672,84 consumers have been benefited from it. The remaining 7,215 villages and 44,70,536 families are yet to avail power. The Energy Minister sought Rs 8,900 crore under DDUGJY and IPDS so that they can get electricity by 2019.