Rehabilitation bonanza for project-affected people: Shinde

Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has committed that the public sector hydro and thermal power projects would be converted into instruments of social development, with the new policy of the Centre to allocate one per cent of the total project cost for rehabilitation and development of the persons affected by the projects.

''Earlier, the states used to get only 12 per cent share of the power generated from the projects. Now we have changed the policy and one per cent of the power cost will be utilised for the local area development,'' Mr Shinde told reporters last evening here.

The minister said the states where the power projects have been proposed haul also requested to contribute a matching one per cent for the development of the local area where the projects are being implemented.

The total will be two per cent of the project cost for the local area development which is a huge amount, said Shinde.

He further announced that the project affected people, who have lost their land to the projects, will get all compensation and benefits due to him.

''The project affected people will get all their dues in addition to 100 units free electricity per month and they can also sell the (surplus) power,'' said the minister.

Regarding the employment to the local persons, Shinde said he has specifically asked that wherever public sector hydro power projects are coming up, a new Industrial Training Institute (ITI) should come up in the project area. When the foundation stone of the power project is being laid, the ITI school will also start to train the local youth and by the time the project starts, the services of the trained local youth can be used and they are employed, he said.

He added that the Ministry will also take up the matter of providing insurance to the project affected people.

''These measures have been launched as part of our corporate social responsibility,'' said the minister. However, these measures are not binding on the private developers.

The minister said the Centre has targetted to generate around 78,000 MW in the 11th Five Year Plan but due to low rainfall and other delaying factors, some percentage of the targetted generation may drop.

-- (UNI) -- 08CA5.xml

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