India has Moved From Being Power Deficit to Surplus: RK Singh

Union Power Minister RK Singh had said that India has moved from being power deficit to become power surplus during the Narendra Modi regime

At a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing between the J&K government and NHPC for the implementation of 5 power projects (hydropower) in the Union Territory, Union Power Minister RK Singh had said that India has moved from being power deficit to become power surplus during the Narendra Modi regime and that the country is also witnessing the highest growth rate in renewable energy in the world.

“There is no power deficiency in the country. We have a maximum demand of 1.85 lakh MW of electricity but the present availability is 3.74 lakh MW,” Singh said at the signing ceremony. “Earlier, our country was deficient in power but after the Modi government took over in 2014, we have doubled the power generation to make the country a surplus in power generation.”

The Power Minister further went on to add that now there is more investment from the private sector rather than the public sector in the generation of electricity. 

“We are doing it in a transparent manner as a result of which India’s renewable energy growth rate is the highest in the world and has become an attractive world destination in renewable energy,” the minister said referring to a report. 

The rural areas used to get electricity for 18.5 hours but after the reforms and schemes introduced by the government, the consumers there are now getting 20 hours of power supply in 24 hours. “The urban areas are also getting 20 hours power supply, while 80 percent of the towns are getting round-the-clock power supply,” he said.

The minister also mentioned that the new system of smart prepaid meters was introduced to replace the manual preparation and delivery of electricity bills. “It is good for the public, including the public. You have to recharge your meters through mobile to get electricity and if you are not paying, you will face load-shedding,” he said.

The MoU’s were signed for the implementation of Rs 34,000 crore 850 MW Ratle HEP and 930 MW Kirthai-II HEP and execution of Sawalkot HEP (1856MW), Uri-I (Stage-II-240 MW) and Dulhasti (Stage-II-258 MW) power projects in the UT.

In August, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Minister of Shipping, and the Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Nitin Gadkari had said that he believes India is power surplus so the benefits of e-mobility solutions are very much in the interest of the country. Speaking at the India e-mobility Conclave 2020 (IMC 2020) organised by the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), the minister said that there is a strong need to develop import-substituting, cost-effective, indigenous, and pollution-free sustainable transportation systems in the country, and one of the most important solutions is public transport on electricity.