USE OF TECHNOLOGY NEEDED TO MAKE POWER SECTOR COMMERCIALLY VIABLE:
SURESH PRABHU
The Minister of Power, Shri Suresh Prabhu has said there is an
urgent need make use of world class technology in the distribution
sector to make the power sector commercially viable. Shri Prabhu
was speaking while delivering the special address at the two-day
"India Power 2002: Making the Power Sector Viable" conference
here today, organized by the Independent Power Producers’ Association
of India (IPPAI) in association with the Ministry of Power. The
Minister of Power while referring to the issue of technology said,
his ministry has now taken the initiative to bring in world-class
technology.
Tracing the major problems characterizing the power sector, Shri
Prabhu said investments in the power sector were necessary if
the Indian economy was to grow at a rapid speed. However since
the investments required are huge, not much was coming in because
of the unviability of the sector. The Minister said, there was
an urgent need therefore to change the mindsets of the people,
who somehow believe that it is the duty of the government to provide
them with electricity, yet on the other hand it is not their responsibility
to pay for the electricity they consume.
The Ministry of Power, the minister said has launched the Accelerated
Power Development Reforms Programme (APDRP) to turn the sector
around. One of the major thrust areas of the programme is to bring
in accountability at the feeder level. Detailed strategies have
been worked out and areas where these strategies are to be implemented
have been identified, Shri Prabhu said. A dialogue is in process
with state governments for the signing of Memorandum of Agreement
(MoA), in which milestones will be identified and only then would
the money under the APDRP be released. Shri Prabhu said the MoAs
are much more stringent and solid than the Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) signed earlier.
Haryana, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh were mentioned as some
of the states were a nascent turn around could be seen following
the application of the reforms programme. However the minister
emphasized that it would take much time before the massive structural
changes which are being attempted in the power sector under the
reforms programme, would begin to bear fruits.
