MAOIST-HIT DISTS TO BE ELECTRIFIED WITH SOLAR POWER

While stressing for intensive electrification of the Left Wing Extremist (LWE) affected areas, the Government of India would be starting a new programme for providing solar lightening in a big way in these far flung remote areas, where the Maoists are active.

Providing electricity through conventional means is undertaken regularly and now solar lightening is considered as a supplementary support.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has prepared a detailed project plan of Rs 1, 560 crore, which would be shared both by the Centre and State on 60:40 ratio basis, officials said.

Union Secretary Home Affairs Rajiv Gauba, who is pursuing the development agenda in Red corridors, is in touch with Odisha and other States in this regard, said sources.

He has also written to the Union Energy Secretary in this regard to speed up electrification on a priority basis.

According to sources, nearly 26,000 villages have been electrified already in the Red corridors, which is 55 per cent of the total villages.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is pursuing the matter continuously with the Department of Energy in the State Governments and with the Ministry of Power in Government of India.

Odisha along with 11 States would be benefitted from this massive programme on solarisation of these 35 most LWE-affected districts. Malkangiri and Koraput have been identified as most LWE- affected districts of Odisha.

While intensive electrification initiative is being taken up by the Department of Power, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has taken up the programme to provide off-grid power solutions.

Off-grid means that power would be provided not from grid stations, but from alternative sources.

Latest statistics show that there are more than 21,000 villages in these 35 districts which are yet to be electrified; and, accordingly, the MNRE has been roped in for supplementing power requirement in the LWE zones.

The MNRE has planned to distribute 80,000 solar water pumps during 2017-18 and has kept a target of providing over 27 lakh solar lamps in

Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, said official sources.

In fact, these far flung remote areas require solar lightening on a priority basis, opined top cops engaged in anti-Maoist operations.

Soon, the MNRE would be providing home lights, street lights, solar pumps, study lamps in the most LWE affected districts, officials revealed.

Once the project is cleared, the MNRE would take up the massive project of solarisation programme in the most LWE affected districts, said sources.

With the new programme, the LWE-affected districts would be saturated with solar pumps, solar lamps and other facilities, which Union  Minister Home Affairs Rajnath Singh is favouring, said sources.

Source: dailypioneer