CS Announces 21 Lakh Rooftop Solar Systems For BCs In AP
He instructed officials to speed up establishment of electric vehicle charging stations under the PM e-Drive Scheme: Reports
ANANTAPUR: Chief secretary K. Vijayanand on Saturday directed officials to expedite the installation of rooftop solar systems for domestic consumers belonging to SC and ST communities within the limits of AP Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL).
The CS held a review meeting on various schemes at the Collectorate in Anantapur with APSPDCL chairman and managing director Shivasankar Loteti, director (Projects & IT) P. Ayub Khan, Anantapur district collector O. Anand, joint collector Shiv Narayana Sharma, SP P. Jagadish, NREDCAP managing director Kamalakar Babu, chief general managers J. Ramanadevi and M. Umapathi, SPDCL general manager V. Vijayan, Anantapur circle superintending engineer Seshadri Shekhar, DRO A. Malola and other officials.
During the meeting, the chief secretary underlined that rooftop solar works should be completed for the 7.48 lakh SC/ST domestic electricity consumers by March next year. Wherever feasible, each house must be equipped with 2 KW systems each, totalling to 415 MW capacity. He wanted net meters to be installed immediately after fixing solar panels without any delay.
Vijayanand said under the PM Surya Ghar Scheme, 17,870 households in Anantapur district will receive rooftop solar systems with a total capacity of 35.7 MW by next March. He further announced that 21 lakh BC households across the state will be provided with rooftop solar systems.
He instructed officials to speed up establishment of electric vehicle charging stations under the PM e-Drive Scheme. In addition, he emphasised on timely completion of works under the ongoing Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme.
The chief secretary said under the PM-KUSUM scheme, solar electrification works for 1.36 lakh agricultural pump sets with 610 MW capacity within APSPDCL limits should be completed soon. Under the Feeder Solarisation Scheme, he directed Anantapur district officials to expedite land acquisition for setting up solar plants with 111 MW capacity at 20 locations spread across 498 acres within the Anantapur circle.
Earlier, Vijayanand paid floral tributes to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Father of Indian Constitution, coinciding with the latter’s death anniversary. He recalled Dr. Ambedkar’s services to the society.