Plan in place to ensure no grid faces any problem: Sharma on lights-out

Uttar Pradesh Energy Minister Shrikant Sharma on Saturday said few people on social media are trying to spread rumours that power grid will fail following the Prime Minister's blackout appeal and the central government has drawn a plan to manage it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked citizens to switch off lights for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday and light candles and torches to "challenge the darkness of the coronavirus crisis that has forced a three-week country-wide lockdown.

"There are people, who on social media are trying to spread rumour that the power grid will fail, and then there will be problems. The Centre is ensuring that no grid in any state faces any problem. Our engineers are ensuring that there is no problem, and the roadmap has been prepared.

"On the call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at 9.00 pm on April 5 for 9 minutes, we will switch off the tube-lights and bulbs in our homes. Other equipments should however continue to function. We will throw a challenge to the darkness of Corona through light. We will defeat Corona. At 9.00 pm, we will light a candle, lamp, torch or mobile phone flashlight, defeat the darkness of Corona," Sharma said in a video.

The minister also said that poor people are the most affected by the lockdown, and there is a need to eradicate sadness from their mind.