In order to ensure round the clock electricity to all, Power Minister Piyush Goyal has urged the West Bengal government to join the UDAY scheme meant for revival of debt-stressed power distribution companies in the nation.
"I have urged the Hon'ble CM of WB @Mamata_TMC to sign up for the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojna (UDAY) to ensure the 24X7 power for all," the minister said in a tweet.
Asserting that West Bengal is an integral part the government's effort to ensure affordable 24X7 power to all by 2019, Goyal said that only 22 villages are un-electrified in the state.
"West Bengal is an integral part of GoI's effort to ensure affordable 24x7 power to all by 2019. Only 22 villages are un-electrified in WB," he said.
"For the first time in 68 years after independence on 29 Dec'15 India became one nation, one grid and power at one price," he tweeted.
Piyush Goyal had on Tuesday exuded confidence that all states will join UDAY after Jharkhand became the first state to sign an MoU to avail benefits of the scheme meant for revival of debt-laden discoms.
Jharkhand on Tuesday signed an agreement with the Power Ministry to join UDAY, which is seen to offer the state a net benefit of around Rs 5,300 crore.
The states which have agreed to join the scheme include Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh.
Goyal claimed that Uttar Pradesh was getting top priority
in all power projects and that the state has been allotted the maximum of Rs 6,946 crore under the Deendayal Upadhaya Gram Jyoti Yojna.
"In other projects too, UP is being given special emphasis and under such circumstances the allegations of non- cooperation are very difficult to understand," he said.
The Union minister said that despite the Gadgil formula (of power allocation) being in force since the past several years, the Centre is ready to provide power to the state as per its demands.
On the pilot project of District Vidyut Abhiyantas, he said through it the district 'vidyut samitis' will get the right to monitor the electrification work.
He said efforts were on to provide power to all the villages of the state by 2019 and the number of DVAs in the state will be increased.
Goyal said the progress of ongoing electrification process on real time basis can be tracked by all the users and stakeholders on #GARV mobile app.
