The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will inaugurate and address the Conference of Chief Ministers of States/UTs on power related issues, scheduled to be held here on Monday, the 28th of this month. The conference, Chaired by the Prime Minister, will have the following issues as its agenda:
(i) programme for rapid expansion of generation in the next five years
(ii) reduction of losses (T&D/ATC) through a crash programme
(iii) Improving functioning of electricity markets by ensuring greater competitiveness, including through open access
(iv) Rural electrification; and
(v) Energy conservation and demand side management
The scheduled conference is a follow up of the recently concluded States Chief Secretaries/Power Secretaries last month. In that conference, there was a general consensus on the issues relating to reduction of losses, control of power theft, accelerated expansion of generation capacity in the next five years, need for facilitation and encouragement by States in ‘open access’ in transmission and distribution. It may be recalled that in the Chief Secretaries’ Conference the progress of rural electrification under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana was also reviewed and the States were asked to formulate their plans for rural electrification and share them with the Ministry of Power at the Centre.
RM/AMA – 250507 Chief Ministers’ Conference curtain raiser