Manohar Lal reviews urban development schemes and the power sector scenario for Himachal Pradesh

Manohar Lal reviewed the urban development schemes and the power sector scenario for Himachal Pradesh at Himachal Bhawan,Chandigarh today.

Shri Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Chief Minister, Himachal Pradesh, and Shri Vikramaditya Singh, Minister for Public Works, Himachal Pradesh were present in the meeting. The meeting was also attended by senior officials from the State Government and officials from Govt. of India (GoI) from Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and Ministry of Power.

The progress of Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in the State was reviewed in the meeting.  Additionally, issues related to Hydro sector, Power Sector reforms, measures taken for facilitating Ease of Living through electricity and power transmission were discussed. The State Government also raised its concerns and gave suggestions on the issues presented.

In his address, Shri Manohar Lal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Power and Housing and Urban Affairs welcomed all the dignitaries to the meeting. He mentioned that his visit to the State would help in better understanding of the issues and their resolution.

He highlighted the role of RDSS in bringing improvement in the electricity distribution sector and in strengthening electricity distribution infrastructure for the remote areas of the State. He also mentioned about the works sanctioned for electrification under the border infrastructure and Vibrant Villages Program.

He advised that the State should expeditiously award and implement the works sanctioned under RDSS and should strive for reducing AT&C losses to less than 10% and eliminate the gap between average cost of supply and the average revenue realized so as to minimize the financial burden on the DISCOM and, thus, the State. He also suggested for prioritizing implementation of System metering works for effective monitoring and accurate accounting of electricity supply in the State. He mentioned that System metering would go a long way in efficient energy accounting and in identification of the high loss areas. He also emphasized on the initiatives taken under Ease of Living (EoL) so as to improve consumer experience in respect of electricity services.

He also emphasised that the State of Himachal Pradesh has a huge hydro-power potential which should be effectively utilised and joint efforts of the Centre and the State would go a long way in tapping this potential, thereby increasing the generation of power.

He further emphasised that the GoI has set an ambitious target of installing 500 GW of power from non-fossil fuel sources, such as solar, wind etc., by 2030 in which Hydro-electric projects including Pump Storage Projects (PSP) play a vital role.