Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday claimed that the country is moving from electricity crisis to electricity surplus.
While launching the Saubhagya Yojna at Deendayal Urja Bhawan here Prime Minister Modi said, "We are moving from Bijli sankat (electricity crisis) to Bijli surplus (electricity surplus)."
The launch day also coincided with the anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, the forerunner of present day Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Revoking Pandit Upadhyaya's words, Prime Minister Modi said that a government's success is determined by the condition of the lower class of the nation.
Stressing that welfare of the poor is connected with the identity of BJP government, PM Modi termed the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojna or the Saubhagya Yojna as another initiative of the government towards welfare of the poor.
Prime Minister Modi said, under the Saubhagya Yojna, the government will give electricity access to every home, and that no bill will be charged from the poor.
He further added ad said the government will reach the doorstep of every poor to give them electricity connection.
The scheme costs over Rs 16,000 Crore, informed PM Modi.
"This government has taken the oath to give this 'Saubhagya' to the poor," Prime Minister Modi asserted.
"I had promised from the red fort to complete the aim of electrifying 18,000 villages in 1000 days. Out of 18000, only 3000 villages are left now," Modi claimed, and added that the remaining 3000 villages will also be soon electrified.
"In new India, not only the electricity will reach every village, but also every home of new India will have an electricity connection," he further claimed and added that the Saubhagya Yojna is a symbol of the government's three years of endeavours.
Modi also elaborated on the electricity distribution management in India.
Comparing coal output in UPA government's regime with that in the BJP government's regime, Modi claimed that the present government has increased the output by 93 million ton in the last three years, while the NDA government increased only 34 million ton in the five years spanning from 2009 to 2014.
Prime Minister Modi further added that coal mining and production has reached a transparency which was absent in the tenure of UPA.
"This is indicative of the governement's 'niti' (policy) as well as 'neeyat' (intention)," Modi quipped.
Speaking on the renewable energy sector, Prime Minister Modi claimed that renewable energy capacity of India has doubled in the last three years.
Government has aimed for an output of 175 gigawatt clean energy by 2022, the Prime Minister said.
Prime Minister Modi also claimed that the government has undertaken over 1.5 lakhs projects in electricity transmission network, and added that it was 83 percent more as compared to last government's work.
"We are speedily moving towards the aim of 'One nation, One grid, One price'," Modi added.
Pointing that power distribution had been the weakest link in India's power sector, the Prime Minister said that two major schemes launched by the government are already in works, viz., Deendayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojna in villages, and Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) in cities.
Governement's policies of power distribution have had a positive impact on ease of doing business, averred Prime Minister Modi, and added that India has jumped from 99th rank in 2015 to 26th rank in 2017 in the field of ease of doing business.
"Under Ujala Yojna, more than 26 crore LED bulbs have been distributed, saving 13,700 crore every year in Indin household," Modi said, and to drive home the point, he added,
"Last year, NASA took a picture of India, and India was lighted, and the same image taken in 2012 shown India in complete darkness".
While concluding his address, Prime Minister Modi urged ONGC to encourage the youth towards innovation, and also organize competition for innovation in the regard.
".Then electric stoves and electric cars will not be far in future. It will be a revolution for a country like India and there will be no need for so many 'Yojnas' (schemes)," Modi added.
The scheme was launched to mark the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.
Prime Minister also formally inaugurated ONGC's new corporate office that was renamed Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Urja Bhawan, from Rajiv Gandhi Urja Bhawan.
The main agenda of this Yojna is to provide substitution to kerosene, improve educational services, improve health services, improve mode of communications, improve in public safety and increase job opportunity.
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