The following steps have been taken by the Government to bring improvement in generation and distribution of power:

1. From 2014 till 31.12.2022, 175 GW of power generation capacity has been added.
2. 173459 ckt kms of transmission lines has been added to our grid, connecting the whole country into on grid capacity of transferring 112 GW power from one corner of country to another.
3. Under DDUGJY/Saubhagya/IPDS the Distribution system has been strengthened at a cost of Rs. 2.02 Lakh Crore-adding 2927 new substations, upgrading 3964 substations and adding 8.48 lakh ckt km of HT/LT lines etc.
4. 100% FDI through automatic route is allowed for projects of power generation (except atomic energy), transmission, distribution and trading.
5. Notification of Revised Tariff Policy on 28.01.2016 with various provisions to encourage private sector participation in generation as well as in transmission.
6. Notification of Late Payment Surcharge Rules to bring back financial viability of the power sector in the country and thereby attract investments. The Rules have not only ensured that the outstanding dues are liquidated but have also ensured that the current dues are paid in time.
7. In order to promote generation from renewable sources of energy and attract investments in this sector, Inter State Transmission System (ISTS) charges for transmission of the electricity generated from solar and wind sources have been waived for projects to be commissioned by 30.06.2025. Further, ISTS charges on transmission of electricity generated from new hydro projects waived for 18 years from the date of commissioning.
8. Green Open Access Rules, 2022 have been notified on 06.06.22 for promoting generation, purchase and consumption of green energy.
9. Setting up of Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Parks to provide land and transmission to Renewable Energy (RE) developers for installation of RE projects at large scale.
10. With the objective of improving the quality and reliability of power supply to consumers through a financially sustainable and operationally efficient Distribution Sector in the country Government of India has launched Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in July 2021. The scheme aims to reduce the Aggregate Technical & Commercial losses (AT&C) to pan-India levels of 12-15% and Average Cost of Supply- Average Realizable Revenue (ACS-ARR) gap to zero by 2024-25. The scheme has an outlay of Rs.3,03,758 crore and an estimated Gross Budgetory Support (GBS) of Rs.97,631 crore from the Central Government.
11. These measures have contributed to the present status wherein power availability has gone upto 22½ hrs on average in rural areas and 23½ hrs in urban areas.

This information was given by Shri R.K Singh Union Minister for Power and MNRE in a written reply in Lok Sabha yesterday.

***

SS/IG

(Release ID: 1896072) Visitor Counter : 1020