Gujarat covers 98 pc villages under 24x7 power supply scheme

Ahmedabad, May 14 ( UNI) Even as major cities like Delhi and Mumbai reel under severe electricity shortage, over 98 per cent of 18,065 villages in Gujarat are getting uninterrupted 3-phase power supply for 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The 3-phase connections have been provided in 17,726 villages till April 30 under ''Jyoti Gram Yojna'', a special scheme launched by the BJP Government four years ago.

The remaining 340-odd villages, mostly situated in the farthest corners of the state, are likely to be covered before June, say official sources here.

Over 10,000 villages were brought under the scheme in 2005-06, the maximum since the commencement of scheme. In 2003-04 2,516 villages were covered, for which Rs 72.18 crores was provided. In 2004-05 were covered 6,203 villages with a budgetary provision of Rs 257.15 crore.

The Jyoti Gram Yojna was announced by Government of Gujarat to provide continuous 3-phase power supply to the rural area for the upliftment of villages.

The stark difference in the quality power was one of the major causes of rural-urban divide. The villagers missed the quality of life available in towns, resulting in exodus of rural population to urban areas, sources point out.

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