Power ministers conference: Piyush Goyal unhappy over 'absenteeism'

Union Minister of State for Power Piyush Goyal today expressed his displeasure over non-participation of some states in the power conference under way in the city, and has sought a report.

“Please let me know why some of the states are not represented here. I presume if ministers have not come, their Secretaries must have come. But if Secretaries have also boycotted the meeting, submit a report to me,” he told his Secretary after the inauguration of the two-day event.

“If they act like this, we will have to behave in similar way. Last time, I had made it abundantly clear that we have a lot of time to help and solve problems of the State but it will have to be two-way traffic, it cannot be one way.

I am very keen to know the reason why some could not come,” the minister said.

Goyal sought the details about the absent ministers, the Secretaries’ attendance from all the states, and reasons for their not being here.

“Ministers from the North East have not been able to come. Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura… If they have any specific problem then we will resolve it,” the minister said.

Referring to the conference held in Guwahati previously, Goyal said the meeting had sent a very strong signal that India will go to North East.

“All of us from across the country assembled in North East and discussed the problem of India. It is for the first time in the history of India that a national conference of all power ministers, or for that instance of any ministers from any ministry, had ever met in North East,” he said.

“Last time I had mentioned about the importance of everybody’s participation at the highest level. More so because this gives us the chance to learn from your experiences, to understand what is best for each state, what could be a better way to do it,” the minister said.

“It is probably the first time in so many years that you had a power ministers’ conference religiously organised every six months. It is a matter of satisfaction that in last two years we have been able to maintain the discipline and sanctity of this forum which in some sense represents the team which is going to change the future of India. It is going to change the very basis of making India a superpower.

“Not only for the sheer importance that electricity as a sector has in people’s lives but also for the fact that the world today is recognising that India is truly committed to making a difference to the life of poor,” he said.

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