The Union Government took steps to bring electricity to a large number of villages in rural India. How could we claim to be a modern state with vast rural areas remaining plunged into darkness? The scheme called Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) envisages 100 per cent electrification of entire rural India. It is not a small project considering the population and the area of the country. Obviously, Jammu and Kashmir, being one of the States of the Union, also comes within the purview of the scheme. But as it happens, even this scheme that has immense relevance to the development of the State is also fallen a victim of official apathy and lack of interest. The matter becomes more stringent when we are told that funds for the implementation of the scheme are already in hand and on that count there will be no difficulty. Why then is the lack of interest on the part of PDD?
Bringing electricity to un-electrified villages also carries with it some major reforms in power distribution that would help in separating power supply for household consumption and the farm consumption. So far the two branches of power distribution remain inter-dependent. But under the proposed dispensation, power supply to household consumption after it is separated from farm distribution will go uninterrupted. That would be a major achievement. Besides that it also focuses on strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution infrastructure including metering at all levels in rural areas. Under this ambitious power sector scheme, the Union Government sanctioned 21 projects costing Rs 619.67 crore for Jammu and Kashmir. Of this amount, Rs 69.2 crore was sanctioned for feeder segregation, Rs 86.53 crore for electrification works, Rs 96.38 crore for metering, Rs 357.47 crore for Rural House Holds and system strengthening, Rs 7.01 crore for Saansad Aadarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) and Rs 3.08 crore for PMA charges. This shows that the planners of the scheme have taken into account all aspects needed to be taken care of when reforms and extension of power to un-electrified rural areas are under contemplation. True, earlier one such scheme called. Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) was in place, and it became a component of the new scheme that is currently discussed. Now according to the roadmap prepared by the Union Government for the implementation of DDUGJY, the State meaning the PDD had to engage Project Management Consultancy. Without engagement of Project Management Consultancy no step can be initiated towards implementation of the scheme as several vital aspects are required to be looked after by the consultancy besides providing necessary guidance to the Power Development Department. Several months have passed when the scheme was announced and the PDD has not taken any step in the direction of engaging Project Management Consultancy. According to statistics available, 3.56 lakh households in rural areas of the State are without electric power. The scheme, if implemented strictly in accordance with the guidelines, would bring electric light to this vast number of rural households. But the PDD is soft-paddling on the issue and the village households continue to remain in darkness. Out of a total of 6337 inhabited villages in Jammu and Kashmir State as per Census 2011, 134 are un-electrified as on March 31, 2015. During the period between April 1, 2015 and February 1, 2016 the Power Development Department succeeded in electrifying only 26 villages. Remaining 108 villages have yet not seen the electricity. Electrifying just 26 villages in a span of one year is poor performance. If this is the norm then the remaining 108 villages will take no fewer than five years or more to become electrified though there is no guarantee at all that PDD will continue to be at work all the five years under our estimate. PDD authorities are not in a position to reflect on the time frame for completion of the project.
People of the un-electrified rural areas in the State are unhappy that there seems no end to their deprivation of electric power. They are unhappy that the scheme sponsored by the Union Government and also funded by the Union Government is not taking off in the State. As such they would want the Government to identify if there are vested interests at work that want to scuttle the scheme. If it is the case then the Government has the responsibility of taking corrective measures.
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