Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Deepak Khadka has said that the contribution made by community electricity consumer organizations for rural electrification during the Maoist armed conflict should not be forgotten. He said that these organizations should be appreciated for their contribution to providing access to electricity in remote and remote areas of the country, despite facing difficult circumstances.
Addressing an event organized on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the National Association of Community Electricity Users Nepal (NACEUN), he said that the important role of the federation should be highly respected in uniting community organizations in electrification. He said that it is necessary to institutionalize and advance such efforts in the future as well.
Minister Khadka emphasized the need to manage the projects and organizations that the community has not been able to operate among the electricity projects and projects run at the community level through the Nepal Electricity Authority.
In the context of rapid development in the electricity sector in India and China, Nepal should also follow the same pace of development of neighboring countries and move forward in the development of quality energy infrastructure, Minister Khadka opined. At the event, former Energy Minister Deepak Gyawali, chairman of Electricity Regulatory Commission Dr. Ram Prasad Dhital, Energy Secretary Suresh Acharya, and Nepal Electricity Authority executive director Hitendra Dev Shakya lauded the contribution made by the association of community electricity users to rural electrification through the promotion of community electrification.
On the occasion, NACEUN President Narayan Gyawali informed that about 600,000 households have been provided access to electricity through more than 300 community organizations so far. According to him, the necessary distribution infrastructure for rural electrification has been developed and constructed with an investment of nearly 2 billion rupees collected from the community.
In a panel discussions of experts which was a part of the event, experts opined that that the government should review the provision on the tariff for those who utilise 20 kWh or below per month is not to be charged energy fees and the minimum fee will be only Rs 30 should be made more practicable. That provision is targeted to support the poor and low-income groups.
The experts said that this provision formulated by the government has rendered community electricity utilities unviable and forced them to be handed over to the Nepal Electricity Authority, and that amendments are necessary.
NACEUN President Narayan Gyawali said that the electricity tariff system, which was previously implemented to provide electricity services to community organizations in remote areas and areas where the authority could not reach, should be reviewed.
