Of the 34 districts, seven have not provided the data, and covering just 20% of the total households surveyed would need 8,500 electric poles, the study revealed. “Two years ago, the State government had said 19 lakh households were still without electricity. Maharashtra and the country is long way from total electrification and mere advertising will not help,” Pratap Hogade, president of Maharashtra State Energy Consumers Association, said. “We are confident of meeting the deadline, but total electrification will only be done once all the households are covered,” a senior official said. “We have informed the minister about the possible dichotomy in the data, both in households and villages,” a MEDA official said.

Source: The Hindu May 06, 2018 18:53 UTC