17 lakh BPL families yet to get power in Odisha

The target for providing electricity to all households being 2019, over 17 lakh BPL families in Odisha are yet to get power connections.
17 lakh BPL families yet to get power in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Centre keep changing the target date for providing electricity to all households and the revised timeline being 2019, over 17 lakh BPL families in the State are yet to get power connections.


Of 44,99,998 BPL households in the State, 27,94,295 have been provided electricity as on date. The remaining 17,05,703 households which constitute nearly 38 percent of total BPL families are to be covered under 'Power for All' programme in two years time.


The flagship rural infrastructure programme launched under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) in 2005 was aimed at providing electricity to all the villages by 2012. After the NDA Government came to power, it rescheduled the target to May 2018 and subsequently to 2019.


In the 12th Plan period (2012-17), the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) under the Ministry of Power had planned to provide free electricity connection to 16,58,147 BPL households. However, the cumulative achievement till date is 44,343 households connections.


The NDA Government changed the name of the programme from RGGVY to Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and sanctioned fund for electrification of 83,035 BPL households. The achievement so far is nil. 


Though the Ministry of Power had made provision of Rs 97 crore for electrification of 8,864 BPL families under decentralised distribution generation (DDG) as providing electricity from the grid is not possible due to the remoteness of their habitations, funds for the programme has not been released.


With 45,500 villages and 1,25,749 habitations, the total households of the State are 80,97,933. The Centre which is implementing the programme through its agencies has electrified 44,53,080 households.


As many as 1,19,050 habitations of the State are without electricity. The REC has sanctioned funds for electrification of 1,09,166 habitations and work orders have been issued for 57,493 habitations.  However, work has not started in any of the habitations, official sources said.


The progress of rural electrification is abysmally slow in Balangir district where 28.51 percent of the households have got electricity connections. Of the total 4,31,578 households in the district, only 1,23,062 have received power connections.


In Keonjhar district, of 2,89,858 households, 1,12,838 do not have electricity. Similarly, in Kalahandi, 1,45,138 out of total 2,95,347 households have not been electrified while 42.63 per cent households out of 2,65,803 in Koraput district remain without electricity.

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