BENGALURU: Karnataka, despite being the first state in the country to generate, transmit and distribute power in the early 1900s, has never had an additional chief secretary with experience in handling all the three crucial wings of the department. That is until now.
Kumar Naik, who was posted as additional chief secretary in the major reshuffle of IAS officer on Wednesday, has come a full circle in the power department, having served in transmission, distribution and generation. After the appointment, he told TNIE, “My first priority will be to ensure a stable power supply and easy access to reliable power for everyone in the State.
Electricity is a fundamental requirement for industrialisation and it would be important to ensure that industrialisation takes shape in consonance with the vision of the state industrialisation policy.’’ “My priority will be to reduce government’s massive subsidy burden and cap losses, deal with environmental concerns of thermal power stations and focus on green energy,” he said.
The State’s kitty of green sources of energy includes 4900 MW of wind energy, 903 MW of hydropower, 1731 MW cogeneration from sugar factories, 139 MW from biomass and about 7382 MW from solar power. “I would like to increase the production of green energy, which is achievable. We are sure of receiving support from KREDL,” he said.