New Delhi: Union Minister for Power Manohar Lal Khattar has asked the Chhattisgarh government to not levy cess on hydropower projects and Pumped Storage Projects (PSP) as such form of levies add to the power tariff for consumers. Khattar was in Raipur on Wednesday where he chaired a review meeting on the state of the power sector in Chhattisgarh. He also asked the state, whose AT&C losses is close to the national average of 13.5 percent, to further strive to reduce it to below 10 percent to minimise the financial burden on power distribution companies (DISCOMs) and the state.
During the review meeting, the minister called for the electrification of 100 percent of the un-electrified households, particularly the PVTG households. The progress of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in Chhattisgarh was reviewed in the meeting. Khattar highlighted the importance of the initiatives taken under Ease of Living (EoL) to improve consumer experience with respect to electricity services. He also stressed the importance of providing reliable, quality and affordable electricity for all consumers. The role of RDSS in improving financial viability of the DISCOMs and in reducing the technical losses was also discussed.
The minister advised the Chhattisgarh state government to expeditiously resolve the issues related to the projects of state-run NTPC which have been conceptualised or are under development. Referring to NTPC’s captive coal blocks in Chhattisgarh, the minister asked the state government to look into land acquisition and mining lease-related issues with respect to the development of these captive coal blocks.
The Union Minister for Power assured the Centre’s continued support and cooperation in the overall development of the state. The meeting was attended by Vishnu Deo Sai, Chief Minister, Chhattisgarh, Vijay Sharma, Deputy Chief Minister, Chhattisgarh, and Tokhan Sahu, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs. Senior officials from the Ministry of Power, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the state government and CPSEs were also present in the meeting.
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