Govt focussed on development programmes: Goyal

Amid Parliament logjam stalling key reform measures like GST, Power Minister Piyush Goyal today said the government is focused on its development programmes that also include mines and energy sectors.
"In the midst of all this uncertainty and negativism, we have a government which is focused on development and which is working 24X7," Goyal said while addressing a conference here.
Goyal said, "Right now there is a debate in the country whether we want economic progress or want to go back to dark ages. The debate is whether we should give energy access to everybody in the villages in the remote parts the country expand the transmission network, open new mines add to the coal production generate more power or we stop all further activities sit down relax."

Earlier in the day, vociferous protests by the Congress once again stalled discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the constitution amendment bill for the GST.
The minister was speaking at an event organised to sign MoUs of Railway Ministry with Power Ministry and New & Renewable Energy Ministry.
Goyal further said these MoUs will cater the ambitious targets of lowering cost of electricity and consumption in railways and adoption of LED lighting on large scale.

Goyal informed that the railways has ambitious targets of producing Renewable Energy and it will become largest Renewable energy producer.
He also said that all equipment will domestically sourced which will give boost to government's programmes like Make in India & Skill India .

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said that the idea behind MoUs is to generate cheaper, easier and commercially viable renewable energy.
The first MoU was inked between the Power Ministry and the Railways to share knowledge on various developments in the power sector to reduce the cost of power to railways.
The second MoU was inked between New and Renewable Energy Ministry and Railways to bring in a change in the energy mix and solarisation of railways.
The third MoU was inked between Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Railways to identify technologies to further improve efficient utilisation of energy on railways.

The fourth MoU between Railway Energy Management Company (REMC) (A Railway PSU) and Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. (EESL) (a PSU of Ministry of Power) to implement energy efficient systems on Indian Railways.