In a major achievement for Kerala, the state has become the first in the country to provide electricity to every household. The information of which was given by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at a ceremony that took place in Kozhikode on May 29, 2017. After coming to power last year in May, the front government in the state is running a campaign to provide electricity in each and every household in the state.
Barring 1,000 families, the state electricity board has been able to provide electricity to all the households in the state. The reason that these families could not be included is due to the forest regulations as they are living in the remotest areas. However, CM said that government is taking proper steps to light up these houses also.
As per the central government criteria, a village is called “electrified” if it successfully provides electricity to 10% households. The project cost the government around Rs 175 crore and successfully provided electricity to as many as 1.5 lakh households out of which 1.32 lakh is below the poverty line, 32000 families from the SC communities and 17000 families from the STs.
Kerala Chief Minister’s office on the Facebook wrote, “Our state will not divide and privatise the power sector. Government’s policy is to withstand the pressures and keep the electricity board in the public sector as a single institution. Unlike the national policy that considers electricity as a product to earn a profit, Kerala state government conceives it as an infrastructure for social development. KSEB is to be made efficient and a role model for the entire nation by asserting its role in Kerala’s social development. Expecting everyone’s wholehearted support in achieving this goal.”
(Source : The Logical Indian)
