From 50 Years Ago: Not Enough Power, Not Much Planning

Not Enough Power, Not Much Planning

The Prime Minister’s ‘assurance’ to Rajya Sabha that, in view of the power shortage in parts of the country, no power project included in the Fourth PIan would be slashed, creates the misleading impression that Government is fully exercised to meet the growing demand for power. In fact, however, the programme for power in the Fourth Plan has been pruned to fit ‘available resources’ as the Planning Commission sees them. The Fourth Plan Working Group on power had estimated a peak load incidence of 18.5 million kW by 1973-74. Accordingly it recommended an installed capacity of 20 million kW with an outlay of Rs 3,462 crores — Rs 1,480 crores on generation, Rs 800 crores on transmission and distribution, Rs 632 crores on rural electrification, and Rs 500 ‘crores for ‘advance action on Fifth Plan schemes. The actual outlay, by contrast, is only Rs 2,085 crores — Rs 1,061 crores on generation, Rs 645 crores on transmission and distribution and Rs 363 crores on rural electrification, with no provision for any advance action. The installed capacity of 22 million kW that will thus result would leave a shortfall of 3 million kW by 1973-74.