Replying to the letters sent by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav demanding more funds for rural electrification in the state, the Centre has replied that despite all-around support from Central Government, the power situation in Uttar Pradesh continues to remain a matter of concern. According to an official release from the Union power ministry says out of Rs 22,533 crore sanctioned to the state in about 10 years for electrification, only 34 per cent has been utilised by UP government.
UP has been asking for additional funds while it is not been able to utilise the existing ones, the statement claimed while added that the Power Ministry has now started a detailed monthly progress review of the all power project in UP with State Power Secretaries and officials. The statement claimed that only three new villages were electrified in 2012-13 and 2013-14. Electrification has reached 1,364 villages during 2014-15 and 2015-16. Further, mere 22 per cent of the 92,323 villages identified for intensive electrification are reported to be energized.
The Central Government, through Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) is working in this direction by putting pressure on the state government for taking up works. Under the rural electrification scheme called Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojna, state governments identify and implement village projects and REC sanctions funds after vetting them. REC’s had last year appointed 309 young local rural electrification engineers at block and district level to monitor the progress of rural electrification in various states. REC Power Distribution will relocate some GVAs from other states to complete assessment of the 1,450 villages in UP by end of this month, it said. In fact, Uttar Pradesh gets top priority in all power projects and that the state has been allotted the maximum of Rs 6,946 crore under the Deendayal Upadhaya Gram Jyoti Yojana. In other projects too, Uttar Pradesh is being given special emphasis by the Central Government. The efforts are on to provide power to all the villages of the state by 2019 and the number of DVAs in the state will be increased. In fact, the progress of ongoing electrification process on a real time basis can be tracked by all the users and stakeholders on GARV mobile app.
Earlier UP CM had wrote several letters to the Central power ministry for granting more funds for the projects in the state. Manu Ginobili Jersey
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