Rs 17,000 cr push for rural power

The government is working out a roadmap to involve central power utilities like the National Thermal Power Corporation and Powergrid Corporation of India Ltd to implement its Rs 17,000 crore (Rs 170 billion) rural electrification programme, which is expected to be announced in the forthcoming Budget. 
 
Senior power ministry officials said the government was also working on changing the role of the Rural Electrification Corporation. "It will no longer be a funding agency. Implementation of the projects will also have to be ensured," an official said. 
 
The power ministry has proposed a five-year rural electrification programme through increased central assistance aimed at making available electricity in all villages. 
 
A special emphasis is planned in six states -- West Bengal, Assam, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh -- where 85-95 per cent of the villages do not have power supply. 
 
The power ministry's rural electrification plan envisages four elements beginning with the Rural Electrification Distribution Backbone with a network of 33x11 Kv sub-stations in every block. 
 
Feeders from these sub-stations will take the electricity to distribution transformers in villages. 
 
Such transformers are proposed to be put up in all big

villages across the country to ensure power flows into rural households. 
 
In case of villages which are isolated and where grid supply is uneconomical, a decentralised generation and distribution network will be put in place, according to the officials. 
 
Under the scheme, state governments have to ensure that there would be proper metering and collection of dues from the consumers. The Centre is in favour of states roping in non-governmental organisations, co-operatives and even franchising the collection activities, the officials said. 
 
Powergrid is already assisting the Bihar government in implementing a rural electrification programme. 
 
The public sector undertaking has set up a separate division and is signing an agreement with the Rural Electrification Corporation for implementing the rural electrification initiative. 
 
The officials said that the funds would be made available to the states for the rural electrification initiative and they would, in turn, rope in the public sector undertakings to implement the scheme. 
 
"Over the past 50 years, the performance of some states has been very poor and we do not want funds to be wasted again. We will insist on tie-ups with the public sector undertakings in case of certain states," an official said.