The power ministry has asked for additional central assistance of Rs 15,000 crore for National Thermal Power Corporation during the 10th and the 11th Five-Year Plans.
The ministry has also demanded another Rs 15,000 crore for Power Grid and Rs 25,000 for stepping up hydro generation capacity.
Sources said power minister Suresh Prabhu asked for the central assistance from the government while making a detailed presentation on the power sector to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Wednesday.
Finance minister Yashwant Sinha, minister of state for planning and programme implementation Arun Shourie, minister of state for coal Shahnawaj Hussain and deputy chairman Planning Commission KC Pant also attended the presentation.
The presentation outlined the declining trend of capacity addition and persisting shortages, poor financial health of the state power utilities, under-utilisation of existing capacity due to transmission constraints, poor state of rural electrification, increasing cost of power, monitoring of grid discipline, upgradation of technical efficiency and skill levels and environmental issues.
