CG to get additional 500 MW power from summer: CM

Production test of Korba West thermal power plant successful

House passes demand for budgetary grants of over Rs 4801 cr for general administration, finance, energy, public relations, aviation, information technology & biotechnology and economics & statistics departments

Raipur, March 18, 2013

State will get additional 500 MW electricity from this summer as the power companies have succeeded in conducting production test of Korba West thermal power plant. Chief minister Raman Singh gave this information while he was speaking during debate for budgetary grants of over Rs 4801 crore for his departments - general administration, finance, energy, public relations, aviation, information technology & biotechnology and economics & statistics at state assembly on Monday. The House passed demand for budgetary grants for his departments through voice vote.

He informed the House that the power companies successfully synchronised Korba West plant through power generation system on Monday morning. He said the unit would soon start generating power at full load.

“Former Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (CSEB) was operating power plants with capacity of 50 MW, 120 MW and 210 MW during constitution of Chhattisgarh state. Then, for the first time, the BJP government started Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee thermal power plant in Korba with 250 MW capacity. Now, the 500 MW Korba West plant is in series of this trend,” he said. 

Congratulating the officials of energy department and entire staff of power companies the CM hoped that soon the Madwa thermal power plant too would be synchronised and tested for power generation. 

He informed the House that the government would distribute solar lamps gratis to 13 lakh families of 95 development blocks of state. “We will also distribute mobile study lamps to 16.50 lakh students. Chhattisgarh will be the first state in India to implement this scheme. This scheme will also be launched in 95 blocks – 85 tribal blocks and 10 tribal-populated blocks under integrated work-plan,” he told.

He said the government had set a target to install 40 MW solar power plant on 4000 buildings of state in 2013-14. 

He informed that the government was rapidly developing and expanding power infrastructure across state. Under this, he said, a 400 KV high tension power station would be established in Raipur. 

Similarly, power sub-stations with 220 KV capacity will be set up in Saraipali, Vishrampur, Korba and Mungeli while 132 KV sub-stations will be set up in Sarona, Sankara, Gandai, Pratappur, Kondagaon, Durg, Gariyaband, Patharia, Kasdol, Ratanpur, Koni and Jaijaipur. 

He further informed that laying of 225 km double circuit line with 400 KV capacity from Korba to Khedamara had been done while laying of 400 KV double circuit transmission line from Madwa to Korba, Madwa to Raipur and Raipur to Bhilai was on last stage of completion. 

He said the honorariums of honorary pension of state’s freedom fighters had been hiked from Rs 7000 to Rs 15000. The hike is effective from December 2012. 

Likewise, the honorary pension of 458 Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) prisoners too has been increased from Febraury 21, 2013. Under the new hiked pensions, 222 MISA prisoners, who have completed over six months of imprisonment, will receive Rs 15000 (earlier it was Rs 6000) and 181 MISA prisoners, who have not completed six months of imprisonment, will get Rs 10000 (earlier it was Rs 3000).

The CM said through better financial management the government attempted to make proper use of public money through time management in the budget. 

“Under this, the entire financial year has been divided into four quarters and spending of every department against allotted budget is being monitored on daily-basis,” he said.

For this, all the treasuries and sub-treasuries have been linked through internet under e-treasury system, he added.

‘We thanked PM for appreciating CG’

Countering allegations of Congress that the state government had lied that prime minister Manmohan Singh praised Chhattisgarh’s progress in the parliament, the CM quoted the PM’s tweet fetched from his official twitter account that mentioned state’s increasing GDP rate. 

“We have even thanked the PM for appreciating Chhattisgarh. Unfortunately, whenever the PM or Sharad Pawar or any other Central minister praises Chhattisgarh, the opposition frowns,” he said.

Pointing that the Congress virtually boycotted union panchayat and rural development minister Jairam Ramesh when the latter praised the state, the CM said Ramesh was an unbiased and sincere person. 

“I Know Ramesh for 18 years and he had also interviewed me as a journalist in the past,” he said. 

“Chhattisgarh is a fastest growing state. It is just 13-year-old as compared to 60-70-year-old states. Our state is ready for a giant leap. We have succeeded in creating conducive environment in primary, secondary and tertiary sectors,” he said.