Hamlets to get power not just lines: Jyotiraditya M Scindia

NEW DELHI: Hamlets in the country can look forward to power supply as the government has revamped its flagship rural electrification scheme that will not just mean laying lines but also energising them.

Power minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia said he has changed the implementation mechanism of the scheme that after about eight years of inception will lead to actual electricity supply.

Under the new execution model, the central government will release funds to state implementing agencies only after there is real flow of electricity.

The government provides 90% of electrification costs as grant and 10% as loan to states through the nodal agency Rural Electrification Corp.

Earlier a village was declared electrified if distribution transformer and lines are provided in the locality and electricity is provided to public places like schools, panchayat and community centers.

“I have put in place a new auditing system, wherein I will not only be looking at electrification and infrastructure but also in energisation. Based on energisation, successive tranches would be given,” Scindia told reporters on Friday.

He said big projects in an area would be divided into sub-projects for which the contractors will buy equipment and set them too. Funds will be released only after power start flowing through the lines.

Scindia has put in place a stringent monitoring mechanism too. Earlier 10% of electrified villages were audited and of these only 25% of BPL families were considered. In the new scheme government will audit 20% of the villages and all BPL families residing in those areas.