Guwahati, Dec 3 (PTI) Union Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh on Friday said power availability in the country has increased tremendously in the last few years and the government is working towards providing seamless connectivity to every household.
Singh was speaking at a review meeting with the power ministers and officers concerned of the Northeastern states here to discuss the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme, a PIB release said.
Underlining the need for power reforms, especially in the distribution network, the minister emphasised the importance of power supply for the growth of the industrial sector, which is a core segment for the economic development of a country.
Singh maintained that power is the key to development and a country cannot develop unless it has a seamless power supply.
He pointed out that the availability of power in the country, including the region, has gone up to an average of 21 hours per day in rural areas and 23 hours in urban areas.
In the past three-four years, the power scenario in the Northeast has developed tremendously and almost all states in the region have managed to revamp their power system.
Power sector has witnessed tremendous growth over the past few years in the areas of generation, transmission, and distribution, and the objective is to give 24 7 power supply to every household in the rural and urban areas of the country and to make India a world leader in power production, he added.
Talking about the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme, Singh said it will help to reduce distribution losses.
The minister further added that implementation of the scheme would lead to consumer empowerment by way of prepaid Smart metering.
Emphasising the need to modernise the system, Singh said to reduce losses, states need to focus on improving billing efficiency, ensuring timely payment for electricity consumption by the government departments.
The Centre has approved a Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme- a Reforms-based and Results-linked Scheme- over a period of five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26 to improve the quality, reliability, and affordability of power supply to consumers through a financially sustainable and operationally efficient distribution sector, the release said.