CM Nitish pitches for ‘one nation, one power tariff’
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday reiterated his demand for “one nation one rate” for purchasing power from central undertakings as he inaugurated and announced schemes worth a total of Rs 15,871.24 crore in the energy sector.
Kumar, who was speaking at a function at Urja Bhawan in Patna, said the consumer power tariff would reduce if India were to have one rate for purchasing power from central utilities like the NTPC, which at currently charge different rates for power supplied to states and union territories from their different plants.
Kumar said he had earlier raised the issue at the meeting of sixth governing council of Niti Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2021.
Expressing his reservations on giving free electricity to people, he said, “Some people talk of supplying free electricity. We are already giving subsidized power to people. Electricity without any charge would lead to a culture of misusing it,” he said.
Kumar also kicked off installation of prepaid meters in rural Bihar areas of Sabour in Bhagalpur and Runnisaidpur in Samastipur. Bihar is the first state to begin installation of smart prepaid meters in rural areas and the project would entail a cost of Rs 3,666.67 crore, he said. “In 2018, we completed Har Ghar Bijli Yojana, displaying our capacity to complete schemes on time. I have full faith that smart prepaid meters will be installed across all households of Bihar by 2025,” Kumar said.
The CM said that more than 2.5 lakh farmers had been provided power connections under “Mukhyamantri Krishi Vidyut Sambandh Nischay Yojana”, which has brought paradigm shift in the way agricultural activities are carried out in the state. “We are going to increase the number of farm connections,” he said.
On safety of consumers, he said, “The electricity department should ensure that replacement of decrepit wires is carried out on a regular basis.”
Electricity without any charge would lead to a culture of misusing it
NITISH KUMAR, CM