SHILLONG: Governor Tathagata Roy said 516 villages in Meghalaya would be electrified in the first phase of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY).
Addressing the state Assembly on the first day of the Budget Session here on Friday, he said for urban areas, the Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) is being implemented in the urban areas to improve services to the consumers.
Pointing to power generation, the work for Lakroh Small Hydro Project (SHP) (1.5 MW) has been completed and the work for Ganol Hydro Electric Project (HEP) (3×7.5 MW) is in progress and is expected to be commissioned by March 2020.
“The power Transmission network in the state is also being augmented and strengthened with the construction of new 220 KV and 132 KV lines and substations under the North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) with funding from the World Bank and the Government of India,” Roy said.
Under the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY), an amount of Rs 125 crore had been released to Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited, for debt servicing and other operational expenditure while implementation of the scheme Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) was also being carried out, he said.
“Other initiatives being implemented are the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (Saubhagya) which provides for free electricity connections to all households in rural areas and poor families in urban areas. The Saubhagya scheme was launched with a target of electrifying 52, 000 households and work is in progress towards achieving the goal,” he said.
Under the New and Renewable Energy component, he said the e-Electrification of 35 remote villages through SPV Home Lighting System (LED Based) and SPV Street Lighting System (LED Based) has been completed.
Roy added that the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is providing Technical assistance under the SUPRABHA Scheme to implement Solar Rooftop Grid connection.