New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday dedicated and laid the foundation stone of various green energy projects of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited worth over Rs 5,200 crore and urged states to clear their power dues as soon as possible.
He launched the power sector's revamped distribution sector scheme as well as the national solar rooftop portal.
PM Modi participated in a ceremony marking the culmination of 'Ujjwal Bharat Ujjwal Bhavishya -- Power @2047' event via video conferencing.
In his virtual address, the Prime Minister recalled the challenges faced by the power sector and how his government has worked for bringing a transformation.
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"Eight years ago, there were problems with the electric grid, there used to be failures. While consumption of power was increasing, production was depleting and distribution of power was in doldrums," he stated, further adding that eight years ago, his government took the initiative to transform every part of the country's power sector.
"Work was done on Generation, Transmission, Distribution, and Connection to enhance the country's power sector," PM Modi mentioned.
According to him, during the eight years of the NDA regime, about one lakh 70 thousand MW of electricity generation capacity has been added to the sector. "One Nation One Power Grid has become the strength of the country. So far, about 170 GW capacity has been installed from non-fossil sources," he said.
States Have Outstanding Power Dues Of More Than Rs 1 Lakh Crore: PM Modi
PM Modi mentioned that many states have outstanding dues of more than Rs 1 lakh crore to power generation companies. "These companies are not able to get even the money that has been committed for subsidy on electricity in different states which is over Rs 75,000 crore," the Prime Minister said.
He went on to urge the states to clear their dues, "I urge them to clear the dues as soon as possible. At the same time, acknowledge the reasons for such a situation honestly when the citizens are paying their electricity bills faithfully."
Talking about the future prospects, the Prime Minister highlighted that the energy and power sector will play a crucial role in strengthening the progress of India in the next 25 years. They are also quite significant for ease of living along with ease of doing business, he added.
On green energy, Modi mentioned that India is among the top 4-5 countries of the world in terms of installed solar capacity, many of the world's largest solar plants are in India.
Green Energy Projects Of NTPC Worth Over Rs 5,200 Crore Launched
'Ujjwal Bharat Ujjwal Bhavishya -- Power @2047', taking place from July 25, is concluding today. It has been held as part of the ongoing 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', organised across the country. It showcases the transformation in the power sector achieved in the last eight years.
The national solar rooftop portal, launched by the Prime Minister, will enable online tracking of the process of installation of rooftop solar plants, starting from registering the applications to release of subsidy in residential consumers' bank accounts after installation and inspection of the plant.
PM Modi inaugurated the 100 MW Ramagundam Floating Solar Project in Telangana and the 92 MW Kayamkulam Floating Solar Project in Kerala. He laid the foundation stone of the 735 MW Nokh Solar Project in Rajasthan, Green Hydrogen Mobility Project in Leh, and Kawas Green Hydrogen Blending with Natural Gas project in Gujarat.
The Ramagundam project is India's largest floating solar PV project with 4.5 lakh 'Made in India' solar PV modules. Kayamkulam project is the second largest floating solar PV project consisting of 3 lakh 'Made in India' solar PV panels floating on water.
The 735 MW Solar PV Project at Nokh, in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan is India’s largest domestic content requirement-based solar project with 1000 MWp at a single location, deploying high-wattage bifacial PV Modules with tracker system.