ALLOCATION OF FUND
UNDER SOLAR VILLAGE ELECTRIFICATION SCHEME
TO MADHYA PRADESH
The Ministry of Non-Conventional
Energy Sources initiated a programme during 2001-02 for the electrification
of village in remote and difficult areas in the entire country
including the state of Madhya Pradesh, through installation of
suitable systems based on locally available renewable energy sources,
like solar photovoltaic (SPV) systems & power plants, small
hydro units and biomass gasifier systems.
The Madhya Pradesh
Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (MPUVN), Bhopal, is the nodal agency
for implementation of solar energy based village electrification
programme in the State. The MPUVN has distributed solar lanterns
and installed a solar powered TV set in one village in the state
i.e. village Mathar of Block and Tehsil Budhni in District Sehore
during the last three years.
The MPUVN has, however,
identified 1,225 villages in the remote and far flung areas in
the state for electrification through renewable energy technologies/options.
It is estimated that 80% of these villages could be electrified
through SPV systems and power plants. The Ministry is, however,
yet to receive Specific Project Proposals from MPUVN for sanction.
Earlier a proposal
was developed by the Ministry for electrification of 9 tribal
villages in the Jabalpur Parliamentary Constituency at a total
estimated cost of about Rs. 91 lakhs, but the project could not
be sanctioned as the balance funds required for implementation
of the proejct, after taking into account the admissible support
from the Ministry, could not be provided by the State Government
or under the MPLAD Scheme.
No funds have been
released to the MPUVN so far during the current year for electrification
of remote villages through solar energy.
This information
was given by Shri M. Kannappan, Minister of State for Non-Conventional
Energy Sources in reply to a question by Miss Mabel Rebello in
the Rajya Sabha today.