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100 per cent villages electrified – a status report

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100 per cent villages electrified - a status report

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]India reached an important milestone on Saturday, April 28 evening with Manipur’s Leisang village becoming the last of India’s 597,464 inhabited villages to be connected to electricity supply network.

PM Narendra Modi had promised on August 15, 2015 that all unelectrified villages would get power over the next 1,000 days. The initial deadline for total rural electrification was last year, May 2017 which was missed.

The last inhabited village to be powered through the off-grid system — isolated supply networks, mostly with solar power plants — was Pakol, also in Manipur.

The PM tweeted: “28th April 2018 will be remembered as a historic day in the development journey of India. Yesterday, we fulfilled a commitment due to which the lives of several Indians will be transformed forever. I am delighted that every single village of India now has access to electricity.”

At the time of Modi’s announcement in August 2015, data showed 18,452 villages out of the total 597,464 without power. When work on village electrification started, another 1,275 villages were found to be without access to electricity. Some 1,200 villages are uninhabited and 35 were notified as grazing reserves.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1525082150440{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #a2b1bf !important;border-radius: 10px !important;}”]According to the government, a village would be declared as electrified if:

1) Basic infrastructure such as Distribution Transformer and Distribution lines are provided in the inhabited locality as well as the Dalit Basti/ hamlet where it exists. (For electrification through Non Conventional Energy Sources a Distribution transformer may not be necessary).

2) Electricity is provided to public places like Schools, Panchayat Office, Health Centres, Dispensaries, Community centers etc. and

3) the number of households electrified should be at least 10% of the total number of households in the village.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]100 per cent villages electrified - a status report

Village electrification means that the infrastructure to supply power has reached the village. The next step is providing connection to all households and ensuring adequate power supply to them. The Saubhagya scheme (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana) is intended to address this aspect.

The Modi government has promised to deliver uninterrupted power supply to all households by March 2019, which seems to be a much more difficult task.

According to official data on government website quoted in media reports, in mid-October 2017, of 18 crore rural households, around 82 per cent or 14.8 crore were electrified and 3.2 crore were without electricity.

There was wide variation across states, with those such as Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh showing 100 per cent coverage, while only 55 per cent of the households in Uttar Pradesh and 48 per cent in Jharkhand were electrified.

The seeds of 100 per cent village electrification were sowed with the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), a scheme with a projected outlay of Rs 76,000 crore, that Modi had launched on July 25, 2015. This scheme drew from Modi’s successful experiment as Gujarat chief minister to separate farm and household feeders in rural areas to ensure 24×7 power to households and assured supply to farmers.

One of the key objectives of the DDUGJY was to achieve 100 per cent village electrification. It also envisaged separating feeders, strengthening distribution network, metering at all levels and setting up micro grid and off-grid distribution networks.

To put things in perspective, here is a brief look at the progress of rural electrification in India.

In 1947, during the time of Independence, only 1,500 of India’s villages were electrified.

Between 2005 and 2014, the UPA-I and UPA-II governments connected over 1,082,280 villages to the grid and connections were provided to over 20 million households, out of which 19 million were given free connections, reported The Wire.

When the Modi government announced its new rural electrification scheme, only 18,452 villages did not have power supply.

On average, the UPA electrified 12,030 villages per year while the Modi government electrified 4,842. However, most of the 18,000 odd villages the current administration had to tackle are in far-flung areas and remote locations, making its task doubly harder.

“And to its credit, in 2016-17, 6,015 villages were electrified, five times more than what was done by the UPA-II in 2013-14,” said The Wire.

The Modi government’s flagship Deendayal Upadhyaya Grameen Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) has also  focused on what it calls “intensive electrification”. The DDUGJY website as of February 2018 noted that while 99.8% of census villages had been electrified, “intensive electrification” had been completed in around 80% of villages.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Home Ministry convenes emergency meeting amid rising security concerns after Pahalgam terror attack

After the tragic Pahalgam terror attack, the Home Ministry convened a high-level meeting in Delhi as intense security operations unfold across Jammu and Kashmir.

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Amid heightened security concerns following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, the Ministry of Home Affairs convened a high-level meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Key officials attending the meeting include Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director Generals of the Border Security Force (BSF), Assam Rifles, and the National Security Guard (NSG), along with senior representatives from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

Meanwhile, extensive counter-terrorism operations are ongoing at multiple locations across Jammu and Kashmir. Sources familiar with the matter noted that, due to the sensitive nature of these operations, no specific updates are currently being disclosed.

In a related development on Monday, the Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted raids at 13 locations in the Doda district, targeting terrorist hideouts and individuals suspected of links to terrorist activities.

Additionally, Srinagar Police carried out a series of extensive searches across the city. These operations focused on the residences of Over Ground Workers (OGWs) and associates linked to banned terrorist outfits, as part of ongoing investigations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

According to a police statement, searches were conducted at the homes of 63 individuals. These operations were executed in accordance with legal procedures, under the supervision of Executive Magistrates and independent witnesses, aiming to collect evidence such as weapons, documents, and digital devices to thwart any potential conspiracies threatening national security.

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Family Man 3 actor Rohit Basfore found dead near Guwahati waterfall

Actor Rohit Basfore, part of Family Man 3, was found dead at Garbhanga Waterfalls. Initial police reports cite accidental drowning, but further investigation is ongoing.

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In a tragic turn of events, actor Rohit Basfore, known for his role in the upcoming third season of The Family Man, was found dead near the Garbhanga Waterfalls in Guwahati on Sunday, April 27. The incident has sent shockwaves through the entertainment community and among fans.

According to police reports, Basfore had gone on a picnic with nine colleagues when the mishap occurred. Officials from Rani Police Outpost stated that he allegedly fell into the waterfall around 2 pm. The authorities were alerted by 4 pm, and a rescue operation led by the SDRF team resulted in the recovery of his body at approximately 6.30 pm.

Initial findings suggest that Basfore died by accidental drowning, with the police currently not suspecting foul play. However, the final confirmation on the cause of death will depend on the awaited post-mortem report. Despite the preliminary conclusions, Basfore’s family members have voiced concerns over possible foul play, prompting further investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

In recent weeks, Rohit Basfore had shared glimpses from the set of Family Man 3 on his social media, expressing excitement about his experience. He posted photographs alongside co-actors Jaideep Ahlawat and Dalip Tahil, reflecting on his enthusiasm for learning and acting.

The Family Man series, a creation by Raj & DK for a leading OTT platform, stars Manoj Bajpayee in the lead role of Srikant Tiwari. The popular thriller debuted its first season in 2019, followed by a second season in 2021, and has gained a loyal fanbase awaiting its third chapter.

As the investigation continues, friends, fans, and colleagues mourn the untimely loss of a budding talent whose career was just beginning to blossom.

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PM Modi to chair crucial security meeting after Pahalgam attack

PM Modi will chair crucial security and cabinet meetings tomorrow to assess national preparedness after the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 dead in Jammu and Kashmir.

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In the aftermath of the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead a series of crucial meetings tomorrow to review India’s security preparedness.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the nation’s apex body for national security decisions, is scheduled to convene around 11 am. This will be the second high-level review since the tragic incident in Jammu and Kashmir.

Following the CCS meeting, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), chaired by the Prime Minister, will also gather to discuss political and strategic issues. Senior leaders, including Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Health Minister JP Nadda, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, will participate in the deliberations.

Later, the Cabinet’s Economic Affairs Committee will meet, culminating in a full cabinet session.

During the previous CCS meeting, held two days after the attack, the government placed security forces across the country on heightened alert and vowed strict action against those responsible. Measures taken included suspending the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan, halting SAARC visas, closing the Wagah-Attari border, and downgrading diplomatic ties with Islamabad.

Additionally, Pakistani nationals residing in India were asked to return to their country, with a slight extension given to those holding medical visas until Tuesday. In retaliation, Pakistan announced the suspension of all bilateral agreements with India, including the historic Simla Agreement.

As tensions between the two countries escalate, tomorrow’s meetings are expected to chart the next course of action amid rising security concerns.

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