Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of the State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy laid the foundation stone for underground cabling work under ‘Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS)’ at Kabir Nagar, Old Kashi Area, Varanasi yesterday late evening.Ministry of Power has sanctioned Rs. 432 crores for the project . The scheme covers conversion of overhead lines to Underground cables, establishment of 2 new 33 Kv Sub-stations and augmentation of 11 nos. existing Sub-stations. On the occasion, Shri Goyal also launched “Kashi-IPDS Mobile App” for project monitoring of IPDS activities in Old-Kashi in a transparent manner. The App will provide details of plan, progress of various activities, the proposed timelines, area-wise work plan etc. for better information dissemination.
While speaking on the occasion , Shri Goyal said that implementation of the IPDS scheme will help in improving the quality and reliability of power supply in the city apart from giving it an aesthetic look and ensuring safety. He further stated that IPDS is a flagship scheme of the Government of India which aims to strengthening the power sub-transmission and distribution network in urban areas across the country and help to ensure 24×7 power for all. Projects worth Rs 24,838 crore, covering 3486 towns have been approved so far under IPDS of which projects worth Rs. 4722 crore for 247 circles covering 637 towns have been sanctioned for UP.