Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Union Secretaries of the crucial Ministries to make visits to States a regular affair.
In a bid to carry forward the Prime Minister’s long-term strategy for infrastructure development in various States, the Union Secretaries have been advised to pay visits to the States every week. As a part of this plan, Union Energy Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla would arrive here on September 8 to review the power distribution scenario in Odisha. State Energy Secretary Hemant Sharma, who would brief the Union Secretary, has arranged his visits to several villages, said sources.
Bhalla would lay special emphasis on such facility in rural areas including those hit by Maoists. He would review the rural electrification activities in the rural areas, especially in the areas infested by the Maoists.
The sources said the Centre is unhappy over the tardy progress of rural electrification in various States, adding that as many as 770 villages and hamlets, including 560 in Maoist-dominated areas, in Odisha still lack power supply.
The rural electrification works have been hit hard in remote areas of Malkangiri, Koraput, Nuapada, Nabarangpur, Kandhmal and Rayagada districts.
Sources said that despite all assistance provided by the State Government, the Central executing agencies are failing to achieve the target apparently due to lack of review by their senior authorities.
Notably, the new Energy Minister RK Singh, during his tenure as Union Home Secretary, has stressed on development activities to be taken up in Maoist-hit areas of the country along with anti-Maoist operation.