Working to make state 'self-reliant' by increasing power production: UP govt

The Uttar Pradesh government is making an all-out effort to make the state "self-reliant" by increasing power production, Power Minister Shrikant Sharma said.

The government plans to double the power production by 2022, according to Sharma.

"The production would be enhanced from 6,134 MW to 12,734 MW by the year 2022," the minister said late on Saturday evening.

He was briefing reporters here about the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led state government's achievements in the power sector during its tenure so far.

To achieve the target, Sharma said, 10 units with a power generation capacity of 660 MW each are being constructed.

Sharma said the state's transmission capacity has virtually gone up by one-and-a-half times since the BJP came to power.

The transmission capacity under the previous Samajwadi Party government was 16,346 MW. Now it stands at 24,000 MW, he said.

Talking about UJALA, a central government scheme which seeks to promote efficient lighting, Sharma said the state has saved Rs 1,335 crore as distribution of LED bulbs under the programme cut the demand for power by 700 MW.

The minister claimed the power supply to rural areas has gone up from 2015-16 to 2018-19.

As against 201.59 million units supplied to rural areas in 2015-16, 305.84 million units were supplied in 2018-19. This allowed 18 hours of uninterrupted power supply in rural areas, 20 hours in tehsil headquarters and 24 hours in district headquarters, Sharma said.

He claimed that a record 1.24 crore power connections were given in the last three years, which has virtually stopped migration from rural areas to cities.