Ordeal of local electronic equipments producers with MPEB
Indore. There have always been controversies about working of Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board (MPEB). Still there is never seen big scope of big improvement. Now there is a new controversy that MPEB has not followed the instructions of Central Vigilance Committee (CVC) that was readied by M. Vitthal for all government tenders. Under this clear instructions about purchase of equipments from local electronic equipment producers was given but it is not followed. The slow pace of central government’s Saubhagya Yojana is also a result of this that even after releasing the tenders orders are not given.
MPEB does not cooperate with electronic equipment producers. All the electricity distribution companies purchase the equipments from outside companies. MPEB is not cooperative with local producers. MPEB has no quota for local electronic equipment producers according to central government’s instructions. In every other state local producer are given priority. If a state’s electronic equipment producer produces equipment, he is given priority during purchase. In other states there is quota for local factories and the even support local producers. There is even information about no strategy for cable and conductor purchase by MPEB. There have been controversies regarding their purchase but still no transparent plan has been made.
Last year in September central government declared Saubhagya: Har Ghar Bijli scheme. Under this in Madhya Pradesh the target was to provide electricity to 45 lakh families in starting of the scheme. In Madhya Pradesh Prime Minister’s Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana Sobhagya was started for 45 lakh electricity deprived families. There are 45 lakh electricity deprived families in state. There is offer to bring these families under Dindayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana and Sobhagya Yojana. The target of this Rs. 16,320 crore worth scheme is to provide electricity to about four crore electricity deprived families in the country.
Under this scheme the target is to provide electricity to all houses in all states and states under central government by 31 st march 2019. The Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) is the nodal agency for this. But in this scheme the pace of work is very slow in Madhya Pradesh. The government has released the tenders but the process is delayed by personal issues. Madhya Pradesh (Central) Electricity Supply company has been made the nodal agency for 450 to 500 tenders of transformer cable conductor but there is no transparency in this process. This is to understand. At one hand when there is responsibility to complete sobhagya Yojana stopping the tender indicates what is behind this.