Union Minister of State for Power, and New and Renewable Energy R.K. Singh has accused the State government of underutilising Central funds that have been sanctioned for strengthening power transmission, particularly in the rural parts of the State.
On a campaign
Addressing mediapersons during his visit here on Saturday to campaign for Kummanam Rajasekharan, BJP’s candidate in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, Mr. Singh said the State had utilised only ₹230 crore out of the ₹485 crore that had been sanctioned under the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana scheme. Besides, the assistance of ₹90 crore that was sanctioned in the aftermath of the floods for re-electrification in the affected areas remained unutilised.
He added that the State lagged behind others in terms of utilisation of funds under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme to provide affordable housing to the underprivileged.
Houses
While funds had been sanctioned for constructing 42,000 houses, only around 16,000 houses had been built, the Minister said.
Mr. Singh said the country had witnessed a massive electrification drive under the rule of the Narendra Modi-led government. The entire country had also come under a single power grid. “We could achieved 100% village electrification within 987 days of coming into power. Even the most remotest parts in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Arunachal Pradesh have now been electrified. The country has also become power surplus, enabling us to export power to Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar with a similar deal being explored with Sri Lanka,” he said.
