Raphael Warjri

The conference of Power Ministers’ of North Eastern Region (NER) States of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura was held todayin Guwahati. Shri Manohar Lal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs chaired the conference. Hon’ble Power Ministers’ of the States, Additional Secretary (Power), Govt of India, along with senior officials from the States and CPSEs also attended the conference.

During the Conference, detailed deliberations were held in respect of overall scenario of the Power Sector in the States of North-Eastern Region with a special focus on various aspects of Hydropower Generation, Power Transmission and Distribution in the North-Eastern States. The progress of the States in various schemes of Government of India namely North-Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) for strengthening of intra-state transmission as well as distribution system in the North-Eastern States, Comprehensive Scheme for Strengthening of Transmission & Distribution Systems in the State of Sikkim and the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) were also reviewed in the meeting.  Additionally, deliberations were also held in respect of the Power Sector reforms, the measures to be taken for promoting Ease of Living for the electricity consumers and the Resource adequacy plan to be finalised in order to meet the future demand. The representative from the State Governments also provided their inputs and suggestions during the course of deliberations.

In his welcome address, Additional Secretary (Power) highlighted the unwavering commitment of Government of India in ensuring the supply of reliable and quality power to consumers in the country. Currently, 37 hydropower projects (HEPs) with a capacity of 15 GW are under construction and projects for adding another 50 GW are under development. The goal is to add another 11.9 GW of hydropower capacity in the next five years. Development of Pumped Storage Projects (PSP) is also of paramount importance for meeting the energy requirements.

Under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), Distribution Infrastructure and Smart Metering works, having a total outlay of Rs 13,147 Crores, have been sanctioned for these States. The progress of these works needs to be expedited. The financial viability of the DISCOMs also plays a crucial role in the overall transformation of the sector.

Government of India is also committed towards providing electricity access to un-electrified habitations and households in the country. In this regard, States were requested to complete the works of household electrification, sanctioned under RDSS, in a mission mode, including the works sanctioned for electrification of the PVTG household for Tripura.

In his address, Shri Manohar Lal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, welcomed all the dignitaries and indicated the joint efforts needed for achieving the goals of Viksit Bharat by 2047. He also highlighted the significant contribution of the North-Eastern States for the same. Central Government is making all necessary efforts to ensure overall progress of the States in the North-Eastern region. The Central Government has taken up works so as to improve the connectivity and infrastructure in the region. He further mentioned that the North-Eastern States have the richest Hydro Power potential in the country which needs to be harnessed so as to achieve the ambitious national target of 500GW of Renewable Energy by 2030. He mentioned about the initiatives taken by the Central Government to make Hydo-electric projects/PSPs viable like provisioning for Hydro Purchase Obligation (HPO), taking measures for Tariff Rationalization, Waiver of ISTS charges, etc. He also stated that the State, in which project gets established, also gets benefitted in the form of free power @ 12 % and 1 % LADF in addition to other benefits. He also emphasised on the States to resolve the challenges in respect of land acquisition, forest clearances and other hurdles faced by the implementing agencies.

While reviewing the progress of transmission projects, he emphasized on the States to build up capacities so as to become self-sufficient in execution of such projects. In this regard, Powergrid was advised to provide the necessary handholding support and assistance. Deliberations were also held in respect of the proposal of Nagaland and Tripura to provide training centers for Linesmen at the State level under the existing schemes.

On the issue of water-cess, in respect of hydropower projects, it was advised to not to impose such levies as it would ultimately add to the tariff of the consumers. He, further, added that efforts should be made towards providing reliable, quality and affordable power in the State which would also help in attracting industry and, thus, generate employment opportunities.

He advised the States to take benefit of the RDSS and improve the financial viability and operational efficiency of the distribution utilities. He also advised that States with high AT&C losses should take up Smart metering works on priority which would improve the billing & collection efficiencies for the utilities.

During the deliberations, the State Power Ministers’ also highlighted various issues on which Hon’ble Union Power Minister assured full cooperation so as to ensure expeditious development of power sector in the region.

Later in the evening, the Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal Khattar, also chaired a review meeting of missions and schemes of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs in the North Eastern states. The State Urban Development Minister, Shri Ashok Singhal, was also present at the meeting.