Minister Bhusal pledges to provide electricity to all sectors

Kathmandu / Dec 9: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Pampha Bhusal, has said out of all the energy consumed in the country, the proportion of electricity would be increased.

At the sixth national general convention of the National Association of Community Electricity Users Nepal (NACEUN) here today, Minister Bhusal urged all bodies concerned to help the government in this campaign of providing electricity in all sectors by increasing electricity access to the general public.

She shared, “We are in a campaign to consume electricity in all sectors for industrial, agricultural, irrigation and domestic purpose. All the sectors should support the same. The government and Nepal Electricity Authority are ready for facilitation.”

The Minister thanked the NACEUN for providing electricity to more than 550,000 households of 55 districts across the nation through a campaign started to provide electricity facilities to all the people.

Minister Bhusal added that a target has been set to provide electricity of national transmission line to all people of the country within next two years, stating that the government has granted some discount on electricity tariff to community organisations.

Similarly, former Minister for Water Resources, Deepak Gyawali said that community electrification has contributed to the national economy by creating rural employment, controlling electricity leakage and developing entrepreneurship.

Another former Minister Ananda Pokharel opined that construction of reservoir projects for the development of the county should be the next plan, urging to provide suggestions regarding what type of electricity acts would protect the community.

Likewise, the Chairperson of the Electricity Regulatory Commission mentioned that the government has been providing electricity free of cost to the poor families consuming 20 units of power in a month, expressing the view that the use of the electric oven to increase electricity consumption should be stressed.

Deputy Executive Director of the NEA, Manoj Silwal, urged to pay attention to becoming self-reliant through entrepreneurship for the sustainable operation of community organisations working in the electric sector.

NACEUN Chair Narayan Prasad Gyawali stressed that the State should recognize the contribution of community organisations to ensuring access of rural people to electricity while Alternative Energy Promotion Center’s executive director Dr Madhu Sudhan Adhikari pledged to continue with the electrification campaign in the days to come in collaboration with the Nepal Electricity Authority and the Federation. As he said, electrification is yet to be carried out at seven per cent of households in the country.

Association founding chair Dilli Ghimire sought the proper policy from the government level to promote power consumption.

The Forum for Protection of Consumers’ Rights Nepal chair Jyoti Baniya spoke about the need of promoting the use of electric stoves to discourage the import of LP gas. Federation of Community Forest Users Nepal Chair Bharati Pathak and NGO Federation Nepal chair Jeetaram Tamang were among those putting their views on the occasion.

The two-day General Convention will also elect a new executive committee for the term of the next three years.
RSS chief reporter awarded

On the occasion, National News Agency ( RSS) chief reporter Krishna Adhikari was awarded a cash prize of Rs 15,000 in recognition of his contribution to the institutional development and promotion of community rural electricity through the means of journalism. RSS