Govt Committed to SC, ST Welfare: Minister Kondapalli

Visakhapatnam: MSME Minister Kondapalli Srinivas has said improving the living standards of SC and ST communities is among the primary goals of the state government.

On Sunday, attending a PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (SC/ST Solarization Utsav) programme in Patha Baggam village of Gajapathinagaram mandal, the minister said that under this scheme, the government is providing free rooftop solar panels to SC and ST beneficiaries, along with an additional `200 per month.

In the first phase, the scheme is being implemented for 15,018 beneficiaries with an outlay of `170 crore, and 30.04mw of electricity would be generated in the district.

Srinivas said, “Following directions from the chief minister,to ensure better power supply in the state, significant investments are being made in Vizianagaram district. In Gajapathinagaram constituency, out of 8,535 eligible SC/ST beneficiaries, 2,170 have been selected under this scheme.”

The steadily increasing power generation, he said, will reduce the unit cost of electricity and encourage not only SC/ST communities but also others. Out of the total cost of `1.95 lakh, a sum of `78,000 is provided as a central government subsidy. The remaining amount can be repaid over 5–20 years at an interest rate of 6 per cent.

He said those who install solar systems under this scheme would not have to bear electricity bills for the next 25 years.

“After we came to power, 130 new transformers were installed at a cost of `3 crore and electric poles replaced at a cost of `3 crore. An MoU is being signed for generating 12gw of power in AP,” he added.