UP slow in electrification process: Power Minister

The Centre today rubbished Samajwadi Party's charge of "discrimination" against Uttar Pradesh in electrification, saying the state had been provided Rs 18,000 crore for the purpose but the amount remained largely unutilised.
After Samajwadi Party, which rules UP, forced four adjournments of the Rajya Sabha over the issue, Power Minister Piyush Goyal said the electrification process in the state is the "worst".
The situation is very bad in Uttar Pradesh due to poor and slow implementation of the various programmes by the state government, Goyal said replying to a discussion on electrification of villages in Uttar Pradesh.
Only 22 per cent intensive electrification has been done in the state, he added.

Dissatisfied with the reply, members of Samajwadi Party, which rules Uttar Pradesh, stormed the Well of the House, shouting slogans like "Give power". They later staged a walkout.
"States can buy as much power they require," Goyal said.

Countering the charge that Centre is not providing adequate funds to UP, he said: "They are seeking more funds... Rs 11,000 crore which has not been utilised by the state government and we have given Rs 7,000 crore more. The situation is bad in UP. Rs 18,000 crore funds have been already provided."
Electricity has reached only 20,419 villages in UP and only 30 per cent of poor households have been electrified, he said, adding villages in the state get power only for 13 and a half hours.

As per the 2011 census, there are over 97,800 villages in the state, he said.
Goyal also said that the UP government has not paid dues to the tune of Rs 3,872 crore to NTPC and Coal India among others.
The minister said the village electrification programme has picked up pace in the country after NDA government came to the power.
Naresh Agrawal (SP) expressed dissatisfaction over the minister's reply and said it was wrong allegation against the UP government. He said the minister's reply was politically motivated.
Earlier, initiating the discussion, Agrawal alleged "discrimination" against Uttar Pradesh and said the Centre was sanctioning less funds to the state than demanded.

He charged that the Central government is deliberately defaming the state government in an election year.
"The Centre is punishing the people of those states where there is no BJP government," Agrawal said.