Chandigarh (Balwinder Singh): Union Minister for Power and Urban Development Manohar Lal announced on Sunday that India has achieved absolute self-reliance in the energy sector and is now fully capable of exporting surplus electricity to neighbouring countries. Speaking during a public gratitude tour across several villages in the Karnal parliamentary constituency, including Balu, Manjura, Augand, Katlaheri, Jundla, and Picholia, the minister highlighted that the severe power crises and prolonged outages that historically plagued regions like Haryana during peak summer months have been systematically resolved. Currently, the vast majority of villages in the state receive uninterrupted round-the-clock electricity under dedicated rural electrification initiatives.
The minister revealed that the country successfully managed its highest-ever peak power demand on May 21 by ensuring an uninterrupted supply of 270.80 gigawatts against a total domestic availability of 283 gigawatts. Looking ahead to escalating seasonal requirements, the Power Ministry has issued directives to prepare infrastructures to seamlessly manage a 300-gigawatt capacity layout. He contrasted this with the situation a decade ago, noting that the country lacked the capability to satisfy even a 250-gigawatt demand in 2014, while regional transmission and distribution line losses in Haryana have been successfully slashed from 34 per cent down to 11 per cent through aggressive modernization.
Transitioning to social and educational reforms, Manohar Lal announced a welfare scheme to distribute free bicycles to 500 underprivileged schoolgirls from classes nine through twelve who face commuting difficulties due to lack of local high schools in their villages. To support rural youth preparing for competitive state and central government examinations, the minister committed to establishing modern library facilities across all 395 gram panchayats within the district. He instructed local administrative officials to rapidly prepare student rosters, clear tracking pathways for drinking water systems, pave access roads, and construct boundary walls for community zones.
The Union Minister also made a strong appeal to rural communities to dismantle deeply entrenched caste discriminations and strengthen communal harmony, urging villages to transition away from caste-segregated cremation sites toward unified, modern community grounds supported by dedicated state funding. He encouraged residents to actively participate in green energy transitions by utilizing solar-powered irrigation pumps and setting up domestic rooftop solar panels under the PM-Surya Ghar scheme. Lal emphasized that rural development will receive consistent financial backing, advising local village councils to execute public funds with complete transparency to accelerate regional growth.
