Centre, Akhilesh Govt. trade charges over electrification of UP

New Delhi, July 25 (ANI): Stating that the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) scheme has not been renamed but has been entirely replaced with the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDYGY), Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday accused the Samajwadi Party Government of intensively electrifying only 6, 436 out of the 68,212 villages in the last four years in the state. Responding to a poser by Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agrawal during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Goyal said the Centre allocated Rs. 7,282 crores in the 12th five year plan to Uttar Pradesh. "I want him to know that we have not changed the name of the scheme, but the scheme brought by us is entirely a new one," he said. "The state government had to electrify 68,212 villages intensively as per the scheme. In the last four years, only 6, 436 villages have been intensively electrified, which is a mere nine percent. It was also said that 32, 33,913 BPL households would be given free electricity. However, only 1, 23,567 BPL households have so far been provided with free electricity," he added. The Union Minister also said that Rs. 4,432 crores was sanctioned to Uttar Pradesh in the 11th five year plan for intensive electrification of 19,339 villages. "I would like to inform that till now only 8,720 villages have been electrified intensively in the state. The Centre had allowed the state to provide 8, 52,769 poor families with free electricity, but till now only 3, 02,033 BPL households have been provided with electricity," he said. The Samajwadi Party leader told the Rajya Sabha that he had earlier sought details as to how many villages in Uttar Pradesh have been electrified under the new scheme. "He told us that there were 1,529 villages out of which 1,356 have been electrified. You also said that you have sanctioned Rs. 6, 946 crores out of which Rs. 2,666 crores were also given. I don't think you need Rs. 2,666 crores for 173 villages. The maximum you need is Rs. 100 or 200 crores," Agrawal said. "I only want to ask you as to how many villages are there in Uttar Pradesh, how many have been electrified and how many are left to be electrified," he asked. As per Central Government figures, 18,452 Indian villages were still un-electrified as of April 1, 2015. A village is considered electrified if public places in the village and 10 percent of its households have access to electricity. A village is intensively electrified if all the households are provided with electricity. (ANI)