'Modi govt paying attention to power-starved eastern states'

Patna, Nov 15: Keeping politics at bay, the Narendra Modi government is paying special attention towards eastern states, including Bihar, for improving power situation, Union Minister for Power Piyush Goyal said today.

"We have clear cut instruction from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend all help to eastern states including Bihar to make them self-reliant in the power sector," Goyal told reporters.

The minister said this before leaving for commercial launch of unit IV of the NTPC Barh Super Thermal Power Plant (STPP) and declare commercial operation of 110 MW unit II of the Muzaffarpur Thermal power station (Stage I).

"Recently Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi met me with a list of proposals including providing uniterrupted electricity supply in six districts to which Centre told him - why only 6 districts, we will help you to get 24x7 power supply in all 38 districts," he said.

"There is clear cut instruction from the PM not to bring any politics in power sector in the energy-starved eastern states like Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal," he said.

With the supply of additional 429 MW power from new Barh unit, the electricity supply to the state from central schemes would rise to 1948 MW.

Goyal said soon the ambitious scheme of "Deendayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojna" under which farmers would be supplied uninterrupted electricity through dedicated feeders would be launched in Bihar.

PTI