Haryana government today announced to launch a voluntary scheme 'Mhara Gaon - Jagmag Gaon', aimed at providing 24-hour uninterrupted power supply to rural domestic consumers and improving electricity bill collections in order to reduce "huge" accumulated losses of power utilities.
Announcing the scheme here, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the state has become first in the country to launch such an "innovative" scheme.
The scheme is also aimed at further strengthening the distribution network system for the convenience of the people, he said.
Explaining the scheme, the Chief Minister said at present rural consumers were being supplied electricity for only 12 hours daily.
In the first phase of the scheme, 83 feeders have been identified covering 310 villages having minimum line losses between 25 to 70 per cent and which have made payment of their electricity bills, he said.
Power supply would be ensured for 15 hours in these villages from today onwards instead of 12 hour power supply they were getting at present.
The consumers in these 310 villages falling under these 83 feeders would now be urged to install their meters outside their houses and get their old electricity wires replaced with insulated wires, the chief minister said.
"If this happens, power supply in these villages would then be increased by three more hours and these would be supplied power for 18 hours. In the next step, the power supply would be further increased to 21 hours on those feeders where the payment of bills would cross the mark of 90 per cent," he said.
Finally, the feeders where the outstanding amount of electricity bills has been paid in five equal instalments, their penalty and interest would be waived off and power supply for 24 hours would be ensured on those feeders, he said.
The Chief Minister said this scheme will also be implemented in other villages.
Notably, state-owned power utilities have accumulated losses to the tune of Rs 24,000 crore.
The Chief Minister said that 'Bijli Panchayat' would also be organized in all villages falling under such feeders.
