| Font Size |
After endless delays, the state government is finally launching the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY), a rural electrification scheme of the Centre. The programme will provide free electricity to 30,80,000 BPL households in West Bengal.
The scheme got delayed, as the state and the Centre were at loggerheads over the number of districts to be electrified in the state. The Centre had announced to implement the scheme in 11 out of 18 districts (excluding Kolkata), but the state government had rejected it saying that it left out seven districts.
The state government has now decided to contribute an additional Rs 1,100 crore for the project to cover all the districts. “A year was wasted due to the Centre’s delay in taking a decision. We now aim to complete the project by 2012,” said Mrinal Banerjee, state Power Minister.
The RGGVY was launched in April 2005. Under it, 90 per cent grant is provided by the Centre and 10 per cent is given as loan by the nodal agency, Rural Electrification Corporation Limited, to the state government.
The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Corporation Limited will implement the project. In a few districts, the scheme will be implemented by the National Thermal Power Corporation, National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Ltd (NHPC) and Power Grid Corpoartion Limited.
Discuss this story on expressindia forums
|
|