Speaker Devraj Ghimire has urged the activists of community electricity to work for the establishment of industries to consume more energy at local levels.
Addressing a program organized to mark the 19th establishment day of National Association of Community Electricity Users-Nepal here Thursday, Speaker Ghimire praised the Association for its role to electrify the remote areas of the country by organizing the communities.
Ghimire further asked the Association to remain proactive to materialize the government target to ensure power access across the country within two years.
Also speaking at the event, former Energy Minister Dipak Gyawali said that the power produced by the community electricity is more cost effective than that of the power from the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).
“We have a government policy to export our energy at low cost to India and buy at high cost. This makes us dependent, which will harm our community electrification,” according to Gyawali.
Likewise, former state minister for energy and Maoist Centre leader Surya Man Dong said that community electrification drive has played a crucial role in the power supply system in the country.
Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) leader Pradip Yadav and Nepali Congress Central Working Committee (CWC) member Umesh Shrestha said that the private sector and community should be brought on board on the electrification drive in the country.
Shrestha said that the local level should be given the right to produce power up to one megawatt adding that small hydro projects should be developed by the community electricity organizations since almost Rs 7 billion of our money is spent on importing petroleum goods and agricultural inputs every year.
On the occasion, Executive Director of Alternative Energy Promotion Centre Nabraj Dhakal, Deputy Executive Director of NEA Ramji Bhandari, economist Ratna Sansar Shrestha and others expressed their views on the need for community electrification.
Launched in 2058 BS, the community electrification program has contributed largely for the electrification mission in the country’s remote areas.
Source: Republica
