District Level Committees

District Level Committees

Subject – Polity

Context – District Level Committees to be constituted which shall exercise oversight over all power related schemes of Government of India:Power Ministry.

Concept –

• District Level Committees to be constituted which shall exercise oversight over all power related schemes of Government of India.
• Committees will also look at impact on the provision of power services to the people
• Committee to be chaired by Seniormost MP of the District; composition will include elected representatives, officials; District Collector to be Member Secretary.
• This is being done in order to ensure the involvement and oversight of the people in the process of power sector reforms, and their implementation, in the country.
• The Composition of the Committee would be:
  • (a) Most Senior MP in the district: Chairperson
  • (b) Other MPs in the district: Co-chairpersons
  • (c) District Collector: Member Secretary
  • (d) Chairperson/President of the District Panchayat: Member
  • (e) MLAs of the district: Members
  • (f) Most Senior representatives of CPSUs of Ministry Members of Power and NRE located in the concerned district, or their nominated officials for the district.
  • (g) Chief Engineer/Superintending Engineer of the Convenor DISCOM/ Power Department concerned
• The order states that the Committee of a district will meet at District Headquarters at least once in three months to review and coordinate overall development of power supply infrastructure in the district in accordance with the schemes of the Government.
• The Union Government has been providing funds under different schemes for strengthening the Distribution Systems in the country.
• In the past five years almost 2 lac crore were provided under Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA), etc. to ensure universal access by electrifying every village and every hamlet and every household; and for setting up more substations, upgrading existing substations, for High Tension/Low Tension. Lines, Transformers etc. for strengthening the Distribution systems.
• Recently, the Govt. has approved a new scheme of 3 lac crores for further strengthening the Distribution Systems wherever necessary, and modernizing it to meet emerging challenges.