Electricity to all villages by 2018: Piyush Goyal

New Delhi, Dec 3: Power Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday, Dec 3 said that the central government was committed to provide electricity to all villages by 2018.

"Today, the whole country has required coal and power," he told the Lok Sabha.

The minister said 18,452 villages are to be provided electricity under the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gramin Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY). For this, new transmission lines will be set up, he added.

"This is being done as promised by the central government that within 1,000 days of its taking over, all villages, which do not have electricity, will be provided the same," the minister told the house.

He also said that his ministry has come up with a mobile app, which could give the latest information on the on-going work of village electrification.

Goyal also called upon states to cooperate with the central government to achieve the common goal of providing electricity to all.

IANS