Electricity for all by 2012: Shinde

{image-sushil kumar01_10022008.jpg news.oneindia.in}Jamshedpur, Feb 10: Union Energy minister Sushil Kumar Shinde today reiterated the Government"s commitment to providing power to every household by the year of 2012 under the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme.

Mr Shinde, who arrived here to attend INTUC"s 85th General Council Meeting, told reporters that around one 1.2 lakh villages will get electricity under the scheme for which the Government sanctioned Rs 5000 crore during the 10th Five Year Plan while it has been enhanced to Rs 28,000 crore in the 11th Five Year Plan. He said the Government has given 90 per cent subsidy for the implementation of the rural electrification under the scheme.

" The country is producing about 1.37 lakh MW power but despite it the shortage of power is around 25000 MW", Mr Shinde said adding during the past 15 years from 8th to 10th Five Year Plan, the production of power was 54000 MW. In the 11th Five-year plan, the production of power would be about 80000 MW.

The Government was also providing 7000 MW on line electricity, he added. Mr Shinde informed that 20000 MW electricity was being produced by the Independent Power Producers (IPP) and 4000 MW was being generated through Ultra Mega Project.

To a question Mr Shide said the Government believed in transfer of technologies in the power sector and taking the help of technologies for power generation. About the Centre"s plans for improvement of power situation in Jharkhand, the minister said the Government had already supplied 40000 MW to the state.

Earlier, addressing the INTUC workers Mr Shinde said the Government was serious about the problem of the unorganised sector and became the first Government to make legislation for social security for workers in the unorganised sector.

Mr Shinde said the Government had also taken measures in setting up National Commission on unoranised secor, informal sector enterprises. He lauded the role of the INTUC for safeguarding the interest of the working class and said the government was committed to strengthening the hands of the workers and maintaining a cordial relations between the workers and the management.

Mr Shinde ruled out the conception that the globalisation would hamper the trade union movement and affect the interest of the industrial workers and farmers.

The two-day general council meeting, organized by the Tata Workers Union and presided over by the INTUC national president G Sanjiva Reddy, discussed about the issues like building the new trade union approach, fixation of national minimum wage, corporate social responsibility, imbalance in employment, PF rate of contribution and various other issues.

UNI