Lok Sabha Question No. 1934 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-07-28
Subject: Shortage of Power
Ministry: POWER
Asked by: GOPAL CHINAYYA SHETTY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF POWER

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1934 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.07.2016

## SHORTAGE OF POWER

†1934.  SHRI GOPAL SHETTY:

Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) whether the power sector has become a matter of serious concern according to an assessment carried out by the Planning Commission, if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the Government has identified the major obstacles to the development of power sector; and

(c) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  steps  taken/proposed  to  be  taken  in  this regard?

## A N S W E R

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER, COAL, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES

( SHRI  PIYUSH GOYAL )

(a) : The  erstwhile  Planning  Commission  was  publishing  Annual  Report  on the Working of State Power Utilities & Electricity Departments. The last such Report was published in 2013-14, wherein no such result like 'power sector has become a matter of serious concern' has been derived.

(b) & (c) : There are no major obstacles to the development of the power sector. However, there are some issues being faced in implementation of power generation and  transmission  projects    relating  to  delay  in  land  acquisition,  environment  and forest issues, rehabilitation & resettlement issues, natural calamities, law and order problems,  local  issues,  contractual  problems,  delay  in  material  supply,  geological uncertainties,  extreme  weather  conditions,  difficult  terrain  and  poor  accessibility, funds  constraints,  force  majeure  risk,  inter  -  state  issues,  Right  of  Way  (ROW) Problem for transmission lines etc.

Further, in power distribution sector, the main constraints are related to poor financial health of power distribution utilities, high Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses and problem of access to electricity in rural areas.

...........2.

The following are the steps taken for monitoring ongoing/delayed power projects for their timely completion:

-  Central Electricity Authority (CEA) monitors the progress of under construction power projects through frequent site visits and interaction with the developers, equipment  suppliers  and  other  stakeholders  to  identify  issues  critical  for commissioning of projects and help in resolving them.
-  Regular  reviews  are  also  undertaken  by  Ministry  of  Power,  Ministry  of  Heavy Industries and Cabinet Secretariat to identify the constraint areas and facilitate faster resolution of inter- ministerial and other outstanding issues.
-  A  Power  Project  Monitoring  Panel  (PPMP)  has  been  set  up  by  the  Ministry  of Power for monitoring of on-going Thermal and Hydro Generation power projects targeted  for  commissioning  during  the  12 th     Plan  and  beyond  along  with  the associated transmission system.
-  Issues  are  also  raised  in  PRAGATI,  for  proactive  governance  and  timely implementation, as and when required.

Further,  for  development  of      power  distribution  sector,  the  following schemes have been launched:

-  Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) has been launched in order to  ensure  adequate  and  quality  power  in  rural  areas  including  access  to electricity to villages/habitations and households.
-  Integrated  Power  Development  Scheme  (IPDS)  for  strengthening  of  subtransmission and distribution net work; metering of distribution transformer/feeders/consumers;  and  IT  enablement  of  distribution  sector  in urban areas.
-  National Smart Grid Mission (NSGM) for planning/monitoring and implementation of policies and programmes related to development of smart grid.
-  The  scheme  for  utilization  of  Power  Sector  Development  Fund  (PSDF)  for enhancing the grid security.
-  UDAY  (Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana) for financial turnaround and operational improvements of Power Distribution Companies.

Further, in order to operationalise the stranded gas based capacity, the Government  has  launched  an  innovative  scheme  to  supply  Re-gasified  Liquefied Natural  Gas (RLNG) through transparent e-auction.

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