PUNJAB POWER CRISIS IS THEIR INTERNAL ISSUE: R.K. SINGH

Raj Kumar Singh, a former bureaucrat who led the Narendra Modi government’s power sector reforms that resulted in India having a surplus of electricity, was promoted to Cabinet minister from Minister of State and spoke exclusively to The Daily Guardian. He oversaw the electrical grid and implemented reforms in the distribution industry, which had been in debt for years.

Excerpts:

Q: What challenges do you have ahead of you?

A: First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for believing in me and entrusting me with this duty. I want to assure you that since the Narendra Modi government came to power, I was previously a minister, and now I am again a minister, we have achieved a significant shift in the field of energy. In rural places in 2014, electricity was only available for 10-14 hours per day, but today, electricity is available for about 20 hours per day. In metropolitan regions, power is provided for 22 to 24 hours a day. To accomplish this, we have put in a lot of effort. For starters, we have provided 183,000 megawatts of electricity, with more on the way. Electricity consumption is currently 2 lakh megawatts, and we can easily produce and export it. We have connected the entire country to one grid, which means that 183,000 kilometres have been connected, and as a result, every state now has adequate electrical supply, with another 50,000 km to be added. Many states had a sluggish distribution infrastructure; therefore, our government built 2,700 new substations and strengthened 3,900 existing substations. Our government also contributed funds to purchase 665,000 new transformers.

Q: What are your thoughts on the Punjab power outage?

 A: There is no lack of electricity; but governments should invest in high-quality substations to distribute electricity from the grid, and the distribution company should be strengthened. We’ve been reminding states, whether it’s Punjab or another state, that they need to strengthen their distribution systems, or else they’ll have trouble distributing electricity to their citizens. I can say that whatever the problem in Punjab is, it is all about distribution because we are providing adequate electricity to the state, and it is now up to Punjab’s Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to take care of it because it is their internal issue.

Q: What are your impending responsibilities?

A: Now we are looking forward to energy access, which is a United Nations sustainable development target that we must address as quickly as possible. To achieve this, we must offer energy to every home in the country, and we have worked tirelessly to accomplish this goal. We have connected 2 crore 80 lakh houses in the last 18 months. Now, if any homes remain, it is the obligation of the state government, as we are providing funds to them for the same purpose. The entire world is now watching India to see how we have decreased our carbon footprint. We have created renewable energy at the world’s quickest rate to date. Farmers can benefit from the Kisan Kusum Yojna, which provides them with solar energy.