By IANS,
Palakkad (Kerala) : Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde Tuesday said electricity would reach all the villages in the country by 2012.
Shinde’s announcement came as he declared Kerala’s Palakkad district the first fully electrified district in the country.
“The country would become self sufficient in electricity production and electric equipment within one-and-a-half years,” he said, adding that the national percentage of transmission loss stands at 37 percent and this would be brought down to nil by 2020.
The process of completely electrifying Palakkad district began three and a half years ago and Rs.520 crore was spent for power infrastructure development in 11 assembly constituencies in the district, he said.
Kerala Electricity Minister A.K. Balan said that the Kerala State Electricity Board spent Rs.520 crore in the last four years in this district alone. The electrification project was implemented in the district using the MP and MLA Local Area Development Fund.