Greenpeace urges state government to demand restructuring of RGGVY

Patna, October 18, 2011: In the backdrop of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar preparing for the upcoming National Development Council (NDC) meeting, Greenpeace released its national report on the flagship rural electrification scheme, Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) here.

The report is a compilation of the social audit, public hearings and consultations on RGGVY conducted in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to understand the socio-economic impact of the scheme on the rural populace and to find out if it has been able to meet its mandate.

“Given the energy crisis and problems associated with RGGVY in Bihar, the state government should take a more proactive stand in strengthening the scheme. The NDC meeting is a good opportunity for Bihar government to demand a bigger share for decentralised renewable generation (DRE) under the scheme. DRE can play an important role in ensuring energy access and provide quality and reliable electricity to rural areas in Bihar,” said Arpana Udupa, campaigner, Greenpeace India.

Bihar has been reeling under a power crisis. While Bihar plans for increasing generation through thermal power plants, uncertain coal supply and allocation issues are big impediments to these ambitions. The report highlights that given such a scenario, localised generation and supply of power through renewable energy is crucial for ensuring electricity access in Bihar.

300 million people in India, comprising of 25% of households still lack access to electricity, though RGGVY has delivered the grid to almost 90% of rural India, as per the 64th National Sample Survey. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts this figure will be 293 million in 2030.

“The expected capacity addition under 11th Five-Year Plan and 12th Five-Year Plan is more than 50,000 MW and 100,000 MW respectively. Even after 64 years of independence 40 per cent rural households are without electricity whereas there is 100 per cent electrification in urban areas. With the power situation in most states deplorable, whether such capacity addition with no focus on DRE or RE will provide energy access to the rural population is debatable. Decentralised generation from renewable sources provides the opportunity for rural areas to energise and empower themselves without having to wait for the vast grid network to be properly energised for rural areas”, said Ramapati Kumar, campaign manager, Greenpeace India.

Press release

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui