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05/03/2008

Bihar, Jharkhand have highest number of villages without electricity

 

Patna, (Bihar Times): Bihar and Jharkhand have the highest number of villages yet to see electricity. Ironically in the last two years not a single village in these two states have been electrified.

Out of total 39,015 inhabited villages in Bihar only 20,620 are electrified as on December 31, 2007. Thus 18,395 villages are yet to be electrified. The scene of neighbouring Jharkhand, from which Bihar used to rely for power before bifurcation, is all too bad. Out of 29,354 villages only 9,119 are electrified while 20,235 are still groping in the dark.

cartoon by Pawan However, all the 26,613 villages of Andhra Pradesh and 158 of Delhi have been electrified. Similarly all the villages of Haryana, Goa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are electrified. Thus seven out of 28 states have complete electrification while Bihar and Jharkhand form about 40 per cent of the area of
darkness. Even the record of Uttar Pradesh is far better than that of Bihar and Jharkhand. Out of 97,942 villages 85,644 are electrified.

This information was given by Union Minister for Power, Sushilkumar Shinde in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

The Central Electricity Authority report says that out of 5,93,732 inhabited villages as per 2001 Census, 4,87,351 villages have been electrified as on December 31, 2007 in the country.

The report also said that as on December 2007 there were 1,06,381 villages yet to be electrified.

The minister said the continuation of  Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) in the XIth Plan period has been approved for attaining the goal of providing access to electricity to all households, electrification of about 1.15 lakh un-electrified villages and electricity connection to 2.34 crore BPL households by 2009.  The capital subsidy of Rs. 28000 crores during the Eleventh Plan period, at this stage has been provided.

 

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