Union Power Minister, Shri Sushilkumar Shinde has expressed confidence that the targets his Ministry has set out for the 11th Plan will be achieved. Delivering the inaugural address at the 10th Power Forum in New Delhi today he said that the capacity addition of over 78000 MW is not an ambitious target and can be achieved through various programmes and policies the Ministry has been following. Reiterating his commitment to electrify every village in the country by 2009 and provide electricity to every household by 2012, Shri Shinde emphasized the need for open access in power sector which is crucial for sustaining the growth of above 9 per cent. Speaking about the measures being taken to put power generation on fast track the Minister said that the loopholes in the bidding process of UMPPs have been corrected, problems related to merchant power plants of about 12000 MW have been sorted out.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri Anil Razdan said that the 11th Plan will not only bring huge opportunities for the industries active in power sector but also generate employment on a large scale in urban as well as rural areas.

In his address, Member, Planning Commission, Shri B.K. Chaturvedi described theft of electricity as a major challenge and stressed the need to plug the leak. Sighting examples of telecom and insurance sectors where allowing access to private sector has been a win-win situation for both the public and private sectors, he said open access is a must. He also emphasized improvement in equipment delivery system and availability of fuel as other challenges. Shri C.P. Jain, former CMD, NTPC and Chairman Power Group, Indian Energy Forum and Shri P.S. Bami, President, IEF also spoke on the occasion. The theme of the day-long event organized by India Energy Forum (IEF) is “Power Sector-Driver of Growth”.