Congress 'legacy' still keeping villages dark

UNELECTRIFIED VILLAGES
*     Assam-     1,265
*    Aruchal Pradesh -     1,253
*    Manipur -     188
*    Meghalaya -     497
*    Mizoram -     35
*    galand -     79
*    Tripura -     16

1,265 villages in Assam yet to be electrified: Goyal

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Aug 4: In the me of power reform and rural electrification in Assam, the previous State government claimed to have spent thousands of crores of rupees, but many villages in the State are yet to be electrified. Presently Assam ranks third in the list of States which have been laggards in electrifying their rural areas.

Interestingly even the other Northeastern States are ahead in this regard, compared to Assam. In the last 15 years of Tarun Gogoi-led Congress rule in the State, Pradyut Bordoloi was the State Power minister for several years. 

This came to light on Thursday in Parliament in an answer given by Union Power minister Piyush Goyal when a question was raised by MPs Kokalla raya Rao and PK Sreemathi Teacher who wanted to know about the status of electrified and un-electrified villages across the country.

Goyal informed the House that 1,265 villages in Assam are yet to be electrified. The Power minister further said, “As reported by the States, there were 18,452 un-electrified villages in the country as on April 1, 2015. Of these, 9,126 un-electrified villages are yet to be electrified as on July 31, 2016.”

As per information provided by Goyal, Orissa’s performance is worst in the country with 2,033 villages not yet electrified, followed by Jharkhand with 1,472 villages yet to be electrified.

Under the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yoja (DDUGJY), a pet project of the present NDA government, 1,486 un-electrified villages were electrified in Assam between 2014 to June 30, 2016.

DDUGJY was launched in December 2014. As reported by the States, 9,481 un-electrified villages have been electrified under DDUGJY including rural electrification component, added Goyal.

In other Northeastern States, 1,253 villages in Aruchal Pradesh, 188 villages in Manipur, 497 villages in Meghalaya, 35 villages in Mizoram, 79 villages in galand and 16 villages in Tripura are yet to be electrified, and these States are amongst the worst performing States in the field of rural electrification in the country.

Goyal said 8,360 un-electrified villages across the country would be electrified in the current fiscal.