Power sector takes a holy dip in PM's Varanasi

City being made model for power reforms; PSUs under Piyush Goyal's ministry use CSR funds for welfare

The mystic land of Kashi or Varanasi could soon be the model town for urban power reforms and infrastructure development in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP). The ministry of power, coal, new & renewable energy and Mines, along with public-sector undertakings (PSUs), is actively pursuing the turnaround of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency with various reforms. Piyush Goyal is the minister of state (Independent charge) for all these departments. 

Among the top programmes being accelerated are household electrification, underground cabling of electricity wires, installing smart meters in households, light-emitting diode (LED) and solar street lights, heritage poles, solar rooftop projects, etc. The scope of electrifying households falls under the ambit of Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), which is the urban power reforms programme announced in the Union Budget 2014. 

Along with this, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds and the activities of the major central energy PSUs are being used for various central government programmes such as cleanliness drives under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA), waste management initiatives, upgrading government school infrastructure, cancer awareness, etc.

Senior officials said the CSR fund allotment to the city of Varanasi by these PSUs has the approval of their respective boards. Designated officials from the ministry and PSUs oversee the development work on a monthly basis. Some of the PSUs such as Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) and Power Finance Corporation (PFC) also have one official responsible to monitor ground situation in Varanasi and prepare status report to expedite work where it’s lacking. These officials also coordinate with the local and state authorities.

The officials are supported by Piyush Goyal’s office, which coordinates with other ministries such as the ministry of culture, road transport and highways, water resources, for “inter-departmental synergy in the interest of consumers,” said an official. 

“Fund to the tune of Rs 50 crore under SBA allotted to the state government of UP are stuck. So the CSR of PFC, Rural Electrification Corporation and NTPC was pooled and used for a cleanliness drive in the city,” said a senior official, requesting anonymity. The pooled CSR fund was Rs 30 crore. UP goes to polls in February 2017. 

PFC recently issued one of the largest tenders for 90,000 smart meters, which would be installed in Old Kashi. All the ghats would have façade lights, warm or yellow LED bulbs; overhead power cables would be buried underground and would have heritage lamps in its place. This development work falls under IPDS, and PFC is the nodal agency for it. Energy Efficiency Services is overseeing the LED disbursement and installation work. 

NTPC’s CSR fund is being used to revive the waste-to-fertiliser plant in Karsara, which would convert 600 tonnes of waste everyday to compost/fertiliser. The collection of waste is being funded by PGCIL. The compost would be sold to the fertiliser and cement industry. 

PFC and PGCIL provide the human resources required for monitoring the ground work. The ministry of new and renewable energy is exploring the large-scale solar rooftop projects and solar street lights. PFC has also made a mobile ‘Kashi IPDS’ to keep tabs on the development work and get consumers’ feedback.