Keeping politics at bay, the Narendra Modi Government is paying special attention towards eastern states, including Bihar, for improving the power situation, the Union Minister for Power, Piyush Goyal, today said.
“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 the commercial launch of unit IV of NTPC Barh Super Thermal Power Plant (STPP) and declare the 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 uninterrupted electricity supply in six districts, to which Centre told him — why only six 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 1,948 MW.
Goyal said the ‘Deendayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojna’ scheme under which farmers would be supplied uninterrupted electricity through dedicated feeders would be soon launched in Bihar.