Bhubaneswar: Odisha Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo met Union Minister for Power, Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal, in New Delhi on Tuesday to raise key concerns related to the power sector in Odisha and request the Centre’s support for urgent interventions.
According to an official press release, Singh Deo emphasized the need for early sanction of ₹3,069 crore under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) to bolster Odisha’s electricity distribution network. He also highlighted the state’s vulnerability to frequent natural disasters like cyclones and floods, underlining the urgent requirement for Central Financial Assistance (CFA) for disaster-resilient power infrastructure, including selective underground cabling in areas within 30 km of the coastline as proposed by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
In view of Odisha’s rising power demand, the Deputy CM urged the Centre to allocate an additional 800 MW of power from the NLC Talabira Thermal Power Project Phase-II, in addition to the 400 MW already allocated in Phase-I. This would bring Odisha’s total share to 1,200 MW from the 3,200 MW project capacity, helping meet growing industrial and domestic needs.
Singh Deo underscored Odisha’s progress in strengthening its power sector and reiterated that timely support from the Centre would not only benefit the state’s population but also further national objectives of building a reliable, resilient power grid.
