Will strive for power supply to all villages: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said that his government would strive to provide power to all villages in India for their progress and development.

"For any country to progress, infrastructure is of primary importance and automatically leads to development. In all infrastructure projects, power is most important. We shall ensure that 24-hour power supply reaches all villages in the country," Modi said at a rally here.

The prime minister earlier inaugurated the NTPC's Mouda Super Thermal Power Project-Phase I, with a capacity of 1,000 MW (2x500 MW), built at a cost of Rs.5,459 crore.

It will supply power to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Goa, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

Modi said his government has given maximum importance to energy-related projects within India and in the neighbourhood, like Nepal and Bhutan.

The prime minister said the government would give top priority and explore all means to produce maximum, clean power in the country.

"We shall exploit all means -- solar, thermal, hydro, wind, gas -- to generate maximum power which can be supplied to the poorest homes in the country in the next few years. Power brings progress, development and employment," he said.

Modi expressed anguish at the sufferings of the farming community in the state's Vidarbha region where many farmers have committed suicide.

Modi recalled how farmers told him that ground water resources were available 20-25 metres deep, but without power they could not draw the water and irrigate their farms during droughts.

"Even solar power, a clean source of power, has great potential in our country. It was once considered very expensive but not anymore. And it proves to be cheaper in the long run.

"We must implement it to enable each family generate its power requirements from their house rooftops," Modi urged.

The prime minister reiterated that conserving power at the family and individual levels was equally important and said it was a "service to the nation".

The function was attended by Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan, union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal and other dignitaries.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and other members of the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance in the state, however, stayed away.

The Phase II of the MSTPP - coming up at a cost of around Rs.7,920 crore - will make Mouda the NTPC's biggest project in the state.

On completion of both phases, it will have a capacity of generating 2,320 MW, with the second phase of 1,320 MW.