Centre to provide training to those dislaced by power projects

Chennai, Sep 5 (UNI) As part of rehabilitation efforts to those giving land for setting up power projects, the Centre will provide training to enable them to get jobs.

Talking to reporters after laying the foundation stone for the 2x500 MW Vallur thermal power project here today, Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said the training programme would be in place before the commencement of the project to ensure that their employment was taken care of.

''The training programme will be given for local people and those affected by the project. We have decided to enable the people to get skilled and semi-skilled training, which will be useful to them,'' he added.

In this context, Mr Shinde announced the setting up of Industrial Training Institute at Vallur, where he announced an additional 500 MW project for the benefit of local people and to provide job-oriented training to those who give lands for the project.

He said the Power Ministry had decided to add 78,000 MW capacity to the grid in the 11th plan period as against the present installed capacity of 1,35,000 MW. ''We want to go beyond two lakh MW of power in the country''.

''By 2012, we have decided that everyhouse will have electricity, at least one unit in their house,'' Mr Shinde said.

NTPC, which was setting up its first plant in Tamil Nadu at Vallur through a JV firm NTPC Tamil Nadu Energy Company Limited (NTECL), would become a 50,000 MW company by 2012 and 75,000 MW by 2017--at the end of the 12th plan period. At present, the installed capacity of NTPC was 27,904 MW, its CMD T Sankaralingam said.

He said NTPC was planning to set up more power plants in Tamil Nadu and overseas.

UNI