Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday participated in the grand finale of ‘Ujjwal Bharat Ujjwal Bhavishya – Power @2047’ via video conferencing, during which he launched the revamped distribution sector scheme and emphasised on how the elimination of numerous prior energy sector flaws by the central government has strengthened the power sector.
He also laid the foundation stone of various green energy projects of the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC).
The initiative proposes to give financial support to discoms with an outlay of more than Rs 3 lakh crore for a five-year period till FY 2025–26.
When speaking at the event, PM Modi said the BJP government has strengthened the power sector by addressing several prior issues and closing the gap between power generation and consumption.
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“Even after 70 years of independent India, 18,000 villages didn't have electricity. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) scheme has allowed grain producing farmers to also produce power," he said.
“The energy sector will play a significant role in India's vision for the upcoming 25 years. Speaking with those who benefit from renewable energy, I discussed significant power supply measures. New jobs will be made possible by a commitment to renewable energy and mobility," added the PM.
He also noted that states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Telangana’s renewable energy initiatives will help all of India. Ladakh will become India's first region to receive fuel cell electric vehicles (FCVs) and work towards being carbon neutral. Gujarat is implementing a programme to combine green hydrogen that will lessen its need for imports.
"One Nation One Power Grid has become the strength of the country. So far, about 170 GW capacity has been installed from non-fossil sources," PM Modi said.
To connect the entire nation, over 1,70,000 circuit kilometres of transmission lines have been installed. He continued, "We are also getting close to the saturation goal by providing 3 crore connections through the Saubhagya Scheme.
The government is putting unprecedented focus on renewable energy. India will rank among the top five countries in the world with 170 GW of installed renewable capacity, according to the PM.
The revamped power distribution sector scheme aims to:
As per the PM, our distribution sector is experiencing double-digit losses. In contrast, it is in the single digit in wealthy nations. This indicates that we waste a lot of electricity, which forces us to produce more electricity than is required to meet the demand.
In many states, he claimed, there is a dearth of investment in lowering distribution and transmission losses. People will be surprised to learn that several states owe more than Rs 1 lakh crore in back taxes, he said.
Many government agencies and local entities owe power distribution firms more than Rs 60 thousand crore.
The Prime Minister requested the states whose dues are pending, to clear them as soon as possible.
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