Karnataka   

‘Niranthara Jyothi’ launched in Malur taluk

MASTI (Kolar district): This sleepy village in Malur taluk of Kolar district is famous for its illustrious litterateur-son the late Masti Venkatesh Iyengar, who won the Jnanpith Award. On Sunday, this dry and backward village identified itself on the power map of Karnataka by becoming the first village in the State to implement the “Niranthara Jyothi” scheme which provides 24-hour power supply to rural areas (for consumers other than irrigation pump sets).

“Niranthara Jyothi”, which has been implemented in Malur taluk on a pilot basis on the lines of Gujarat, was launched by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.

The pilot project covers the entire Malur taluk which has 272 villages with a population of 1.5 lakh.

These villages may not get 24-hour power supply immediately as the entire State is reeling under power shortage. But their power supply would be on a par with urban areas.

At present, villages in Karnataka have a common power supply line which connects both irrigation pump sets and other consumers such as residences, petty shops, commercial establishments and small industries.

But the State is supplying power to IP sets — which consume high quantum of energy —only for a restricted period due to the power shortage. This system of restricted supply to IP sets is interrupting the supply to other consumers also as they are connected by a common network.

Besides, using the same network for the high-energy consuming IP sets and other consumers is resulting in overloading of the power network leading to drop in voltage level and even tripping of the system.

To mitigate this problem, the “Niranthara Jyothi” scheme has bifurcated the supply network of IP sets) from other consumers by putting up two separate power lines. While the IP set lines supply 3-phase power during which the high energy consuming motors can operate, the other consumers get single-phase power during which lighting, drinking water supply, house-hold appliances and even cottage industries can operate.

Inaugurating the pilot project, which has been implemented at a cost of Rs. 18.67 lakh within 45 days, the Chief Minister expressed confidence that the scheme would provide a boost to the rural economy and check the migration of youth from villages to cities.

He said the scheme would be soon extended to entire Karnataka. The State had to get an additional power of about 1,200 MW to enable 24-hour supply to all areas, barring Bangalore, he noted. He described the scheme as a major achievement in bridging the urban-rural power divide in terms of duration and quality of power supply.

Energy Minister K. S. Eshwarappa noted that it would cost about Rs. 3,500 crore to extend the scheme to the entire State.

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