Electrical goods sector grew 19%

The output of domestic electrical power equipment industry has increased by 19.33 per cent in 2004-05, according to the Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers Association (IEEMA).

All the seven sectors of this industry, such as transmission line towers (TLT), transformers, switchgears, rotating machines, capacitors, cables and energy meters, have registered a double-digit growth, the apex body of the industry said.

The ministry of power has been implementing various programmes, such as Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (apdrp), Distribution Reforms Upgrades Management (drum), Rural Electrification Supply Technology (REST) and the newly announced Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY).

These projects have yielded high growth in TLT (30.25 per cent), transformers (34 per cent), HT circuit breakers (25 per cent), capacitors (25.91 per cent) and energy meters 12.41 per cent.

"For the next 20 years at least, the power sector is expected to witness a double-digit growth. There is good potential for the engineering industry, which thrives under the umbrella of the power sector," said S Ramaswamy, former president, IEEMA.

At the 58th annual general meeting of the association, Ramaswamy passed on the presidentship to Ajay Kumar Dhagat.

Dhagat is a qualified electrical engineer and is trained in the UK at Rugby and Stafford in the GEC units. Prior to the merger of GEC India with Alstom, he was whole-time director of GEC India.