SHILLONG, July 16: The Meghalaya government is aiming to significantly enhance the state’s power generation capacity, with Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday giving the green signal to initiate discussions on the proposed Leshka Stage-II hydroelectric project and other initiatives.
The decision was taken during a review meeting of the Power Department as part of the government’s weekly departmental monitoring exercise.
Sangma said the government reviewed proposals to augment power generation through the Leshka Stage-II project as well as by expanding the capacity of existing commissioned projects.
“We have given the green signal to move ahead with discussions and explore how we can augment power generation, especially by strengthening projects that have already been commissioned,” he said.
The government also reviewed the implementation of key Central schemes, including PM-KUSUM and PM Surya Ghar, with the objective of expanding their reach during the current financial year.
Sangma said the PM-KUSUM scheme, which provides solar-powered irrigation pumps, has immense potential to improve agricultural productivity by providing farmers with reliable and affordable irrigation facilities.
The government has fixed targets to substantially increase the number of beneficiaries under the scheme.
Similarly, the PM Surya Ghar programme, which promotes rooftop solar installations through Central subsidies, was reviewed to identify ways to improve implementation and encourage greater public participation.
The Chief Minister said the state would work closely with implementing agencies and empanelled suppliers to ensure that more eligible households were able to avail themselves of the scheme.
Another major area of discussion was the financial health of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL). Sangma expressed satisfaction over the corporation’s performance and said its financial position improved considerably over the past few years.
According to him, the corporation is now regularly servicing its loans and interest liabilities, while ensuring timely payment of salaries, pensions and dues to power-generating agencies. Revenue collection has also witnessed significant improvement.
“The overall financial stability of MeECL has improved to a very large extent. As we continue clearing our past liabilities, we expect that in the next five to six years, the corporation will attain a much stronger financial position, which will greatly benefit the power sector and the state as a whole,” he said.
The review also focused on improving operational efficiency within MeECL, particularly on the demand side.
Sangma said the government was exploring measures to reduce power consumption through better demand management, improve efficiency across the distribution system and minimise wastage of electricity.
“There are many ways in which we can make the demand side more efficient by promoting power conservation and improving the overall efficiency of the system. These measures will go a long way in strengthening the department,” he said.
He added that the Power Department had been tasked with preparing detailed action plans and that the government would continue reviewing progress on a regular basis.
Earlier, the Chief Minister reviewed the functioning of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department, with discussions centred on increasing livestock production, narrowing the gap between demand and supply, and improving the livelihoods of farmers.
Sangma said the government was working towards creating greater opportunities for entrepreneurs to invest in the livestock sector while enhancing income-generation avenues for farmers.
He said the review examined measures to address manpower shortages, ensure adequate supply of animal feed, strengthen vaccination programmes and improve veterinary infrastructure, including veterinary hospitals across the state.
“The objective is to reduce the demand-supply gap while creating more livelihood opportunities for our farmers and encouraging entrepreneurs to invest in the sector. We will review the action plan again in the coming weeks,” he said.
