From 'Power for All' to 'Thank you All'

Piyush Goyal to gift wooden-framed 'appreciation letters' to one million govt employees

The two years of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre would be celebrated with much aplomb in the power sector. Piyush Goyal, minister of state for power, coal, new and renewable energy, will distribute wooden-framed 'appreciation letters' to one million employees under the power, coal and new and renewable energy ministries.

The idea is to thank the government employees for their contribution in achieving the goals set by the PM for the power sector. Every letter, of 8.5x14 size, will be accompanied by a list of achievements made during the past two years.

On the left corner of the letter, taken in colour, is Modi's picture while on the right is Goyal himself.

GIFT FOR ALL

• 1 million wood-framed letters to be distributed to employees of coal, power and renewable energy and allied departments
   
• Letter to be accompanied with list of achievements made in two years
   
• Rural electrification, UDAY, International Solar Alliance, LED distribution, coal auction, Coal India's record production find due mention
   
• Goyal thanks all employees for contribution, confident to meet 24X7 power for all by 2019
   
• Exercise to mark two years of NDA government

"Each and every one of you put in your heart and soul, committing yourself to the mission. And today after two years of your dedicated hard work, I can say with great confidence and pride that we are steadily and systematically transforming the seemingly impossible into the possible. With your achievements, I can even venture to suggest that we may accomplish the goal by 2019," said the letter reviewed by Business Standard.

The letter mentions the progress made in different government programmes ranging from rural electrification to adding solar power capacity and revival of power distribution companies. All this is aimed at achieving PM's target of '24X7 Power for All by 2022', says the letter dated April 14.

The accompanying list of achievements mentions the reforms initiated by the three ministries - Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY), amendments to the Tariff Policy, rationalisation of coal supply, and the four real-time mobile apps launched to depict transparency in the system.

Under separate heads, it enlists the increase in generation and transmission capacity under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government enhancing coal production and transparent auction of mines, increase in renewable energy generation capacity, and record LED lamp distribution.

The minister's office has been mandated to take up the dispatch of letter as "most urgent matter" with a deadline of May 10, 2016.

The NDA government completes two years on May 26.

Among the achievements, UDAY bonds worth Rs 1 lakh crore issued in 2015-16 finds the top position. The ministry has signed 24X7 'Power for All' documents with 18 states and Union territories. Besides, movement of 23 million tonnes of coal has been rationalised, leading to potential annual savings of Rs 1,371 crore.

Goyal is also applauding the highest ever conventional power capacity addition of 24,172 Mw, the largest ever wind power capacity addition of 3,300 Mw exceeding target by 38 per cent, and the biggest ever solar power capacity addition of 3,019 Mw, exceeding target by 116 per cent. All of this was achieved in 2015-16.