India can achieve 1.65 trillion units of electricity next year: Piyush Goyal

Power Minister Piyush Goyal said the country can achieve as high as 50 per cent growth in electricity production up to 1.65 trillion units next year. Addressing a fuction in New Delhi yesterday, Mr Goyal said, we need to double our power production. He said given the infrastructure and generating capacity we have the ability to double our power production.

The minister termed power shortages cited by the states as technical arising out of mismanagement. He said there was surplus production of



coal now unlike in the past when two-third of India's power plants were left with only critical coal stocks. The minister said 1.11 lakh crore rupees would be pumped in for technological upgradation of power infrastructure through various schemes for rural and urban India.

He added that the government was trying to ensure 24x7 power supply to each household by 2019, three years ahead of the target. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced providing power to the last household by 2022.