The five-year Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana, with the aim of reaching power to 1,25,000 villages and 2,34,000 BPL families, was started in April 2005, but only 61,360 villages could be electrified till last month. To achieve the RGGVY target, the government will have to electrify more than 63,000 villages in about a year, which is a tall order.
The Plan allocation for the power sector has been doubled from Rs 2,230 crore in 2009-10 to Rs 5,130 crore in 2010-11. The allocation does not include allocations for Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY). This was announced by the Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee in his Budget speech in Parliament on Friday.
Considering the government's promise of electricity for all by 2012, the only specific mention in the entire Union Budget for the power sector includes the allocation of Rs 7,000 crore (Rs 70 billion)for RGGVY and Rs 2,080 crore (Rs 20.8 billion) for the RAPDRP programme, Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers Association, said. IEEMA welcomes the continuation of reforms, abolition of the fringe benefit tax and proposed introduction of GST on April 1, 2010.
There is good news for millions of people reeling under darkness in power-starved Bihar as government plans electrification of all villages including small hamlets under the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY), Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said.
While the government has claimed significant increase in funds for farm credit, PMKSY and PKVY, facts show a different story.
On paper, only 8,000 villages remain to be electrified in the country, but the situation on the ground shows euphoria over numbers is misplaced
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