 "khattar oath")
Once appointed head for the reconstruction of Bhuj after the deadly 2002 earthquake by the then Gujarat chief minister (CM) Narendra Modi, Manohar Lal Khattar has now been entrusted with building homes and powering them too.
The two-time CM of Haryana was allocated the Ministries of Power and Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) on Monday.
Khattar, considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since their time together in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, will be taking over two ministries that will shape the socio-economic growth of the country.
The importance of MoHUA was well evident in the first Cabinet meeting of the third term of the National Democratic Alliance government when it announced 30 million homes under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
“It has been decided in the Cabinet meeting on Monday to provide assistance to 30 million additional rural and urban households for the construction of houses, to meet the housing requirements arising out of the increase in the number of eligible families,” said a statement by the government.
PMAY, launched in 2015, provides assistance to eligible rural and urban households for the construction of houses with basic amenities.
Under PMAY, a total of 42.1 million houses have been completed for eligible poor families under the housing schemes in the past 10 years, according to government data.
During his stint as Haryana CM, the state jumped on the bandwagon of power distribution reforms launched by the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre.
The state was the first to adopt smart metering. However, its financial and operational metrics have taken more than eight years to improve. The biggest reason has been subsidising electricity to the farmer population and dated power infrastructure in a state that has multiple commercial zones such as Gurugram.
Khattar takes over the power ministry at a time when it is pushing crucial reforms in power distribution. The country’s electricity demand is touching a new record every year, and the ministry needs to plan both generation and transmission for the future.
The Union power ministry has pulled all strings to ensure a surplus power supply. This included directives on importing coal to running gas-based units. Officials said this has helped the country wade through extreme heat days with no major hiccup. Khattar would need to continue this streak while ensuring affordable electricity accessible to all.
The power ministry also faces the challenge of maintaining power generation capacity, largely dependent on coal, and balancing it against the global demand to dial down fossil fuels.
