The Gandaki Provincial Government’s eight-year-old goal of providing electricity service to all households in the province has still not been achieved. After the establishment of the province, the first meeting of the provincial cabinet formed in 2017/18 decided to supply electricity to all households within two years.

According to the province’s Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Drinking Water, electricity service has reached 99.80 percent of households so far. Based on data from the Nepal Electricity Authority, the ministry’s Energy Division Chief, Engineer Jeevan Shrestha, said that some households are still outside the reach of electricity.

Although the provincial government had prepared to declare the “Ujyalo Gandaki” (Bright Gandaki) initiative a few years ago after supplying electricity to the remaining households, progress has not been achieved in line with the target. Even though this plan has been included every year in the government’s policies, programs, and budget, its implementation has been delayed.

According to Engineer Shrestha, delays in the expansion of electricity from the Nepal Electricity Authority’s distribution center in Nawalpur have pushed the target back. “In Nawalpur, electricity has still not reached around three hundred and fifty households. Work is currently underway through contractors,” he said. “The work was also affected because the provincial government could not make timely payments for reimbursement.” He added that last year, due to a reduced budget, the work came to a complete halt.

This year, the provincial government has allocated a budget of NRs 130 million for electricity expansion. The ministry is confident that electricity distribution work in Nawalpur will be completed within the current fiscal year. In addition, data show that 1,317 households across 28 local levels in the province still do not have access to electricity. Last year, the ministry, in coordination with the Nepal Electricity Authority and local governments, carried out a search and identification of households without electricity.

The ministry had also issued a public notice asking households that had not been identified to provide information through self-declaration. “Details have been received showing that electricity has not reached 1,317 households across 28 local levels,” Engineer Shrestha said. “This year itself, we will supply electricity to 100 percent of households and lay the groundwork for declaring Ujyalo Gandaki.”

At present, electrification is being carried out across all 11 districts of the province through 13 distribution centers of the Nepal Electricity Authority. In areas where micro-hydropower and the national transmission line have not reached, the provincial government has arranged subsidies for the installation of household solar energy systems. According to the ministry, the national transmission line accounts for 95.68 percent of the province’s electrification.

In Mustang, Manang, Myagdi, Baglung, and Gorkha, where the national transmission line has not reached, 1,596 households across eight local levels have had household solar energy systems installed with a 75 percent subsidy from the provincial government. Additionally, under the institutional solar energy program, solar energy systems with a total capacity of 192 kilowatts have been installed in various districts.

In the province, 3,295 kilowatts of electricity are being generated from 90 micro-hydropower projects, providing electricity service to 15,440 households.

Jalasarokar