THE MINISTER OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY (DR. FAROOQ ABDULLAH)
(a)&(b): The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy is implementing the Remote Village
Electrification Programme for financial support to projects for lighting/basic electricity
through renewable energy including solar energy, in those remote unelectrified census villages
and unelectrified hamlets of electrified census villages in rural areas where grid extension
is either not feasible or not cost effective and which are not taken up under the Rajiv Gandhi
Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana for electrification through conventional energy. However, villages
covered through solar energy devices are not deemed to be electrified. Central Financial
Assistance of upto 90% of the project costs, subject to pre-specified maximum amounts for each
renewable energy system, is provided for approved projects. In addition the Ministry also
promotes use of solar energy devices in project mode in rural areas through subsidies ranging
from Rs.125/- per peak Watt for power packs to Rs.17300/- for streetlights. The amounts of
these subsidies are dependent upon the area of the project, the category of the beneficiary,
the type of the device, etc.
(c)&(d): State-wise targets are not set under the Remote Village Electrification
Programme and the projects are sanctioned on case to case basis after proposals are submitted
by the state implementing agencies. The state-wise number of villages and hamlets taken up
under the Remote Village Electrification Programme during the last three years and the current
year are given in the annexed table. A target of covering 1500 villages and hamlets has been
set for the current year.
(e): The work in all sanctioned projects under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana
initiated by Ministry of Power for electrification of unelectrified villages is likely to be
completed by the end of the 11th Plan.
