Piyush Goyal endorses Aadhaar linked electricity bill payment

Endorsing the linking of the Aadhaar card with payment of electricity bills, Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said it was an initiative to help people.

"It is not mandatory. It is in everyone`s interest. Since, the bills will be paid digitally, there will be a proper log in..through this it will be very easy to deter excess and wrong billing," Goyal said.

He was briefing the media on the outcome of the two day State Power Ministers` Conference here.

"This is an initiative aimed at helping the people. All states are free to implement or not..but this is in consumer`s interest," Minister added.

On the allocation of the nuclear power between the states, Goyal said, "Any state that does not permit nuclear plant to come within their state but after some neighbouring state sets up a nuclear plant wants to enjoy fruits of that power, that should not be allowed."

"If a particular state supports setting up of nuclear power which gives hundred years of very clean energy to that state, we will try to give the maximum of that power to that state and those states which do not encourage nuclear power will not be able to enjoy this," the Minister said giving a hint of the policy under consideration.

Calling the conference as the most successful, productive and outcome oriented, Goyal said there was a near unanimity on almost all issues.

"Everyone reinforced their commitment to achieving the target of 24x7 affordable and quality power for all citizens of the country by December 2018," he said.

He also informed that the power ministers discussed the idea of recycling the waste water of power plants for drinking purposes and the better management of dry ash from coal-fired power plants by encouraging setting up of cement plants in proximity of power plants for its consumption.

During the conference, the power ministers discussed seamless power to the industries, rationalisation of power tariff structure through better fuel linkages, transparent price discovery and promised to come up with a plan to benefit consumers soon.

Goyal also informed that the next conference would be held in Rajgir, Bihar.