
Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal, chaired the review meeting of Power Sector of Arunachal Pradesh on July 08, 2024, in Itanagar. Arunachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister, Pema Khandu; Dy. Chief Minister, Chowna Mein; Secretary (Power), Pankaj Agarwal, Govt. of India; and Chief Secretary, Dharmendra, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh were present in the meeting.
In his address, Lal mentioned that the central government is making continuous efforts for the overall progress of the North-Eastern region of the country. In the last decade, the union government has been extremely sensitive to the needs of the region and has been taking up works for better connectivity, improved infrastructure and welfare of the people. He mentioned that Arunachal Pradesh has about 38% (about 50 GW) of India’s total hydropower potential, the highest among all states.
It was discussed that Compensatory Afforestation Land availability is crucial for taking up early development of hydro power projects in the state. It was also discussed that land for Compensatory Afforestation may also be explored in other states as well. It was emphasized to simplify the process for sanction of new connections and the format of electricity bills that may be easily understood by the consumers.
Further, he suggested for providing options to consumers for self-meter reading once in every two months and bill generation thorough a mobile App. He emphasized that availability of supply of quality power in the state will also facilitate growth in industrial sector that will create opportunities of employment in the state.
On the Power Distribution front, he advised for expeditious implementation of works sanctioned under RDSS. He advised for implementing various reform measures prescribed under the scheme for improving the financial viability and operational efficiency of the Power Department. The Power Department was also advised to target improvement in the consumer service rating from ‘C’ to at least ‘B’ within this year.
