Thaindian News

Patna, May 8 (IANS) In power-starved Bihar, a central government-backed rural electrification scheme has failed to achieve its target due to official apathy and poor implementation, a social audit conducted in two districts has revealed.

The implementation of the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojna (RGGVY) was assessed in a social audit conducted by Greenpeace India, an environment protection organisation, in Madhubani and Saran districts.

“People have been left disheartened, marginalised and without electricity,” said the Greenpeace’s social audit, whose report was released Saturday.

According to the report, in almost all villages the authorities have just electrified about 10 percent of the households.

Arpana Udupa, a campaigner of Greenpeace India, said that despite repeated invitations no government representatives from the implementing agencies participated in the public hearing conducted in Saran and Madhubani.

“We invited all concerned departments and agencies of the central and the Bihar government to learn about loopholes in the RGGVY,” she said.

The public hearing was the perfect platform for the authorities to witness and understand the real problems of the people and incorporate the learning to make a real difference on the ground level, she told reporters.

The energy department officials admitted that Bihar was one of the largest beneficiaries of the RGGVY scheme in terms of budgetary allocation. The allocation for Bihar under the scheme has been Rs.4,265.93 crore so far, of which 80.9 percent money has been released.

During the survey it was found that 10,234 villages across 20 blocks of Saran district had been brought under the ambit of the RGGVY.

It was found during the survey that 78 percent of the population surveyed was still living in darkness.