Srinagar: The J&K Government on Saturday said the Power Department Development (PDD) was working hard in ensuring electrification to every village of J&K noting that around 3.57 lakh households were electrified in J&K UT under Saubhagya scheme.
The official handout reads that despite facing many natural barriers including hilly terrains and difficult topography of the region, the J&K government fulfilled the dream of inhabitants living in these places to see the light of the bulb.
“For the first time, after 73 years of independence, village Saddal of Udhampur district and Ganouri-Tanta village of Doda district saw the light of an electric bulb ending decades of darkness from the lives of villagers of these villages,” the official handout reads.
Village elder of the Gnaouri- Tanta village says they were living a miserable life without electricity till now, it reads.
“After electricity was provided to us under Saubhagya scheme, our life eased a lot. Our children now study at ease during night hours also. Earlier they couldn’t study after evening hours. We had to burn wood for light in our houses,” the official handout reads.
Similarly, villagers in far flung and hilly border areas of Nowshera sub division in Rajouri are experiencing a big transformation in their lives after receiving electricity under the government’s Saubhagya scheme. This area was deprived of power supply from the last seven decades.
“We are grateful to the government for launching ambitious schemes like Saubhgya which have made our lives comfortable and convenient in many ways. Earlier, our children could not study due to lack of electricity. We had to go to another village to get our mobile phones charged,” Abdul Hamid, a resident from the area was quoted in the handout.
As per the handout issued here, Pawan Kumar- Sarpanch Halqa Kotiarhbala has extended his gratitude to GoI and J&K Government for realising their dream of seeing their homes lit-up in remote Saddal village.
Notably, J&K has received a reward worth Rs 100 crore from the Government of India for achieving the target of 100 percent electrification ahead of timeline.
Pertinently, the J&K UT had achieved another milestone under Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana ‘Saubhagya’ with J&K accomplishing the 100 percent target of rural electrification that too before the deadline, the government handout reads.