District Level Committees set up for oversight on Power related schemes
Ministry of Power had issued an order dated 16.09.2021 for the setting up of District Level Committees which shall exercise oversight over all power related schemes of Government of India; as also their impact on the provision of services to the people.
The Composition of the Committee would be:
| (a) | Senior most MP in the district | Chairperson |
| (b) | Other MPs in the district | Co-chairpersons |
| (c) | District Collector | Member Secretary |
| (d) | Chairperson/President of the District Panchayat | Member |
| (e) | MLAs of the district | Members |
| (f) | Senior most representative of CPSUs of Ministries of Power and NRE located in the concerned district, or their nominated officials for the district | Members |
| (g) | Chief Engineer/Superintending Engineer of the DISCOM/Power Department concerned | Convenor |
The Committee will meet at District Headquarters at least once in three months to review and coordinate overall development of power supply infrastructure in the district in accordance with the schemes of the Government which may, inter-alia, include the following aspects:
- All Government of India Schemes (power related), including their progress and quality issues.
- Development of Sub-transmission and distribution network including regular operations and maintenance of network – identifying further areas where strengthening is needed.
- Impact of the works on quality and reliability of power supply.
- Standards of Performance and consumer services/ quality of supply.
- Complaints and Grievance Redressal System.
- Any other relevant matter.
It would be the responsibility of the Convenor and Member Secretary to conduct the meetings on regular basis and issue minutes of the meeting timely. States have been asked to notify and ensure establishment of these District Electricity Committees. So far, it is reported that the States of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha have notified constitution of the Committees.
The primary responsibility for conducting any assessment of the status of power infrastructure including at District levels lies with the concerned State Governments/Power Distribution Companies (DISCOMs).
For supplementing the requirements of power infrastructure of States, Ministry of Power has notified the “Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme: (RDSS)” on 20.07.2021 with an outlay of Rs.3,03,758 Crore and an estimated Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) from Central Government of Rs.97,631 Crore. The Scheme seeks to improve the operational efficiency and financial sustainability of all Discoms/Power Departments excluding private Discoms by providing conditional financial assistance to Discoms for strengthening of supply infrastructure and for installation of Smart Meters in Pre-paid mode. The Scheme aims to reduce the AT&C losses to pan-India levels of 12-15% and ACS-ARR gap to zero by 2024-25.
This information was given by Shri R. K Singh, Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Source : PIB
