On the first day of the Monsoon Session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Monday, Energy Minister AK Sharma rebutted the claims of the opposition leaders, arguing that the state currently leads the nation with a doubling of power supply. Sharma was responding to the opposition’s questions by highlighting the Yogi government’s achievements.

He stated: “When the SP-Congress was in power for 70 years, you were not concerned, but now, sitting in the opposition, you have suddenly become enlightened. The high-cost PPAs from previous governments are also contributing to the additional burden on the state.” He added, “We are working to resolve this issue.”

However, the opposition members staged a noisy walkout from the House after being dissatisfied with the Minister’s reply.

Taking a dig at SP leaders while mentioning the suspension of officials involved in bribery in Ballia, he stated: “The electricity problems in the state have historical roots. One such reason is that the previous governments did not work effectively, and even when they did, they failed to maintain quality in their efforts.”

Sharma further mentioned that the employees of the Electricity department are continuously delivering excellent services across the state, working tirelessly day and night under the guidance of the Chief Minister.

“Uttar Pradesh is receiving the highest electricity supply in the entire country, with 30,618 MW being supplied. This level of supply is unprecedented in the history of India for any state.”

The Energy Minister emphasized that the current administration is providing two and a half times more electricity compared to the SP government.

“In the year 2013-14, the maximum load was 12,327 MW. In contrast, under the Yogi government, the supply has increased to over 30,618 MW, more than two and a half times higher. Additionally, 81,598 million units were supplied in 2013-14, whereas in 2023-24, the Yogi government has supplied 1,47,701 million units, effectively doubling the electricity supply.”

Sharma stated that people who were deprived of electricity during the SP government are getting regular power under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s leadership.

He noted that over 1.5 lakh majras were neglected by the SP government, out of which 1.21 lakh have been electrified after the year 2017.

He further noted that Uttar Pradesh has now become the leading state in providing electricity to farmers in the country.

“This year, we have requested the Government of India and got a scheme of Rs 917 crore approved for 19,503 villages and soon we are going to provide electricity here too.”

In a strong critique of the opposition, he remarked, “While the opposition boasts about supporting farmers, our government has actually waived electricity bills for them. Under the previous administration, a total of 25,112 connections were provided to farmers in 2012-13, 18,000 in 2013-14, 34,000 in 2014-15, and 29,000 in 2015-16. In contrast, we have issued 70,545 connections in 2022-23 and 63,000 in 2023-24. Additionally, following the Chief Minister’s directives, we have increased the irrigation exemption from 10 hours to 12 hours during our tenure.”

Sharma stated that if the previous opposition governments had completed the necessary procedures properly, many issues could have been avoided. He pointed out, “You did not invest in infrastructure, which has led to the current problems. In 2017-18, there were 4,092 33/11 kV substations; today, there are 4,507.”

He highlighted improvements in infrastructure, noting that the largest 765 kV transmission substations, which numbered just 4 in the state over 65-70 years, have now been doubled to 7.

The number of 400 kV transmission stations has increased from 14 in 2017-18 to 29, and 20 kV transmission stations have risen from 72 to 166. He also mentioned that under the Chief Minister’s leadership, an MoU was signed with NTPC at the Global Investors Summit to set up two 800 MW units, and work on this project has already begun, he added.

Sharma said that an MoU has been signed to establish two 800 MW units in Anpara, with work already underway.

“We are also progressing rapidly towards generating 1,800 MW through three units. Additionally, we have issued a tender to import more power and to set up a new 1,600 MW coal-fired power plant.”

He continued, “Our focus is on doubling our thermal energy capacity while also investing in solar energy. We plan to add 5,000 MW in solar power, increase pump storage capacity by 2,500 MW, and boost thermal capacity by 10,600 MW. Over the next 10 years, we aim to develop five times the current energy capacity.”

Responding to a question in the Vidhan Sabha about transformers, Sharma stated that maintenance efforts have significantly reduced the number of transformer melting. “In the past two years, we have installed over 30,000 new transformers and upgraded 40,000 existing ones. Additionally, 3,511 new transformers have been added. We have also installed 21,43,981 electric poles across the state, and we are in the process of upgrading the wiring on these poles. Strict action is being taken against any instances of negligence.”

He further noted that projects worth Rs 13-14 thousand crores are currently underway in the state. A business plan of Rs 50 thousand crores has been approved for this year, and Rs 1 thousand crore has been allocated from the Urban Development Department’s budget to the electricity sector.