Patna: Brushing aside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s criticism over poor electricity availability despite promise not to seek vote in 2015 if he failed to provide power, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said through sustained efforts the state has perked up power supply and said all villages would be electrified within one year. Concrete steps have been taken in the field of generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in Bihar as a result of which as against availability of a meagre 70 MW in 2005 the supply today stands at 3100 MW, Kumar said during an interaction with mediapersons here.
Within a year all villages would be electrified, he said adding it should not be confused with electrifying every household. “We link every village with the electricity network so that those willing to take electricity connection can have it,” he said to qualify his statement.
The interaction named “Breakfast with the CM” was organised under “Badh Chala Bihar” programme as part of “vision@2025” campaign aimed at preparing a vision document of policy for next 10 years on the basis of feed back from people about works done in past and suggestions for future growth.
During a rally at Gaya, the PM had highlighted poor per capita availability of electricity of 150 unit which is much less than national average of 1000 unit and those in smaller states like Sikkim, Jharkhand and Punjab. He had also referred to Kumar’s much publicised promise in 2012 to people of Bihar that if he failed to improve electricity condition he would not come to seek vote in 2015 election. The PM had sought vote for his party to make available electricity in every household in next three years.
While giving details of state government’s initiative to boost electricity supply, the CM made a scathing attack on the Centre for not extending assistance in the process.
PTI