सिंचाई और बिजली

IRRIGATION

The level of irrigation in Chhattisgarh is fairly low. Irrigated area is just about one fifth of the total cultivated area in Chhattisgarh. Chhattisgarh has about 19 percent of the total irrigated area of the undivided Madhya Pradesh, whereas Madhya Pradesh will have about 26 percent of its cultivated area under irrigation. The net irrigated area by net sown area is only twenty two percent and gross irrigated area by gross cropped area is just twenty percent. Further, there are variations between districts. Looking at the data available for the undivided seven districts of Chhattisgarh, the net irrigated area by net sown area fluctuates from 46 percent for Raipur in recent years to seven percent for Raigarh, five percent for Surguja and three percent for Bastar.

The main source of irrigation is canals, which provide for three fourths of all irrigation, eight percent of the irrigation is done by tube wells, six percent by tanks and four to five percent by wells. This also fluctuates between districts. Raipur and Bilaspur have over eighty percent irrigation through over 35 percent irrigation through tanks Surguja has over forty percent irrigation from miscellaneous sources and Raigarh has a quarter of its irrigation from tube wells.

The Scheduled Tribes are concentrated in the southern, the northern and the north-eastern districts. The highest concentration is in the erstwhile Bastar district. The new district of Dantewara has 79 percent tribals followed by Bastar (67 percent) Jashpur (65 percent), Surguja (57 percent) and Kanker (56 percent). 

POWER

Strategically located in central India, Chhattisgarh's large surplus of power can be easily transmitted without losses to any of India's four grids. Chhattisgarh is in the chronically deficit western grid, and is linked to the southern and northern grids. A special high- tension line is being laid between Raipur and Rourkela, in the Eastern grid. With its 'Power Hub' strategy, the State will remain power surplus for all times to come. Hence it would be the preferred destination for all power intensive industries.

Korba in Chhattisgarh is really the Power Capital of India. NTPC's Super Thermal Power Plant in Korba is working at 90% Plant Load Factor (PLF), and the plants of the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (CSEB) are also highly efficient. There are huge coal reserves in the vicinity, offering cheap pithead power generation opportunities and there is enough water from the State's largest reservoir of Hasdeo Bango. 84% of India's coal is in Chhattisgarh and two other States. There are adequate coal supplies- South Eastern Coalfields Ltd, Bilaspur is doubling its production from 35 million tonnes to 70 million tonnes per annum.

As in the Green Revolution of the past, which concentrated on Punjab and Haryana, the new ‘Power Revolution’ may focus on cheap pithead power producing States like Chhattisgarh, which has the potential to produce upto 50,000 MW of power. On March 3, 2001, in the meeting of Chief Ministers on Power Sector Reforms, the Prime Minister welcomed Chief Minister Ajit Jogi’s offer of Chhattisgarh becoming the Power Hub of India. This offer is now becoming a reality : NTPC has already started construction on its 2640 MW Sipat Super Thermal Plant and another 600 MW plant in Korba. In response to our invitation, Government of Gujarat is putting up a 500 MW generation plant in Korba. Several other States are also interested. Power will be wheeled to the respective States. Private sector MoUs total another 1500 MW , and more projects are in the pipeline.

Chhattisgarh has excellent power evacuation infrastructure. It can transport and sell power to deficit areas in any part of India. CSEB levies minimal wheeling charges. The State has 44% forest cover; even so, Chhattisgarh Environment Protection Board pursues proactive policies so that power generation is environmentally sustainable. An added reason for investing in Chhattisgarh’s power generation sector is our prograssive power policy, that allows third party sales to buyers outside the State, with or without wheeling from CSEB. This also overcomes the usual escrow/guarantee bottleneck.

Chhattisgarh has excellent power evacuation infrastructure. It can transport and sell power to deficit areas in any part of India. CSEB levies minimal wheeling charges. The State has 44% forest cover; even so, Chhattisgarh Environment Protection Board pursues proactive policies so that power generation is environmentally sustainable. An added reason for investing in Chhattisgarh’s power generation sector is our prograssive power policy, that allows third party sales to buyers outside the State, with or without wheeling from CSEB. This also overcomes the usual escrow/guarantee bottleneck.

CSEB is one of few profit making State Electricity Boards. Power Sector Reforms are underway in Chhattisgarh. The user-pays regime has been adopted. There is no free power in the State. Subsidies, where applicable, are targeted. The process of Tariff rationalization is on. A hundred percent Electronic Metering project has been started.

 Non conventional energy sources have been accorded very high priority. A special agency called CREDA (Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency) has been set up, and over 1200 villages in dense forests are being electrified using off-grid energy. Micro-Hydel power potential is also being tapped in a big way, and several projects have been identified for viable private investment.

 Labour relations are very cordial in the power generating plants, with man- days lost being the lowest in the country. Private sector power generation investors are welcome as Chhattisgarh is inviting investment in greenfield power projects with the cheapest cost of production in the country.