Deputy Chief Minister, Dr. Nirmal Singh has hailed the decision of the Union Cabinet for launching a new scheme of the Ministry of Power - Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojna (UDAY).UDAY provides for the financial turnaround and revival of Power Distribution companies (DISCOMs), and importantly also ensures a sustainable permanent solution to the problem.Dr. Nirmal Singh said that UDAY is a path breaking reform for realizing the Prime Minister’s vision of affordable and accessible 24x7 Power for All. "It is another decisive step furthering the landmark strides made in the Power sector over the past one and a half years by the Central government, with the sector witnessing a series of historic improvements across the entire value chain, from fuel supply (highest coal production growth in over 2 decades), to generation (highest ever capacity addition), transmission (highest ever increase in transmission lines) and consumption (over 2.3 crore LED bulbs distributed), he added.
Deputy Chief Minister said that UDAY is a shining example of the utilization of the best principles of cooperative and competitive federalism and has been evolved through discussions at the highest levels with multiple States. Adopting UDAY is optional for States, but provides the fastest, most efficient and financially most feasible way for providing 24X7 Power for All.UDAY truly heralds the uday (rise), of a ‘Power’ful India, Dr. Nirmal Singh maintained.UDAY assures the rise of vibrant and efficient DISCOMs through a permanent resolution of past as well as potential future issues of the sector. It empowers DISCOMs with the opportunity to break even in the next 2-3 years.Operational efficiency improvements like compulsory smart metering, upgradation of transformers, meters etc., energy efficiency measures like efficient LED bulbs, agricultural pumps, fans & air-conditioners etc. will reduce the average AT&C loss from around 22% to 15% and eliminate the gap between Average Revenue Realized (ARR) & Average Cost of Supply (ACS) by 2018-19.