Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Thursday lambasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech, in which he claimed 100 per cent electrification in the North-east.
“The PM’s claim proved to be false when government data show that 31 million (in general) rural households are still in the dark,” the APCC said in a statement, asking if Modi knows that a village is recognized as electrified if it has basic electrical infrastructure.
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As defined by the Ministry of Power, a village is electrified when power cables from the grid reach a transformer in each village and its households and public places including schools, panchayat office and health centre have access to electricity.
“Modi’s claim of 100 per cent electrification in the Northeast is false because towns close to the capital city of Arunachal Pradesh such as Nirjuli and Doimukh are reeling under extreme shortage of power. Firewood is used to light houses in villages, schools and health centres are non-functional due to unavailability of electrical infrastructure,” the statement by APCC general secretary Chera Taya said.
“Leisang village of Manipur must be the only village which the Modi-led BJP government has picked to beautifully showcase and cover up its lie to make every village in India electrified. But there are villages in Assam where the electrical poles are standing hollow, rusted and powerless,” the statement said.
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“The Prime Minister should know that not only Arunachal Pradesh but villages in other north-eastern states are yet to be electrified. The BJP government is circulating incorrect information when many villages are waiting for electrification,” it added.
“Modi has crossed the limit of lying and misleading the nation,” the APCC said, advising the Prime Minister to collect correct information before making any ‘bogus claims’.