Ladies and Gentlemen, Brothers and Sisters

I have returned home after more than a year! It is a happy feeling for me. The last time I was here I came to share in your suffering when massive floods had inundated your homes and your fields. Today I come with the good news of new investment. I am also here at an auspicious time. This is the season of harvest, of celebrating Bhogali Bihu! My greetings to all my brothers and sisters from Assam.

I am extremely happy to associate myself with the inauguration of the Bongaingaon Thermal Power Project. This is a landmark project for Assam. It is a major step forward in meeting the growing energy needs of this region. Your State has vast hydro-electric potential and we must tap this even more. However, this region has suffered from a lack of thermal power, and due to its dependence on hydel power. I am. Therefore, happy that we are able to begin this thermal power project today.

I take great pride in the fact that the Government of India has taken up this major project, with an investment of Rs 3,000 crore, in this adopted home of mine. The people of Assam have been generous and affectionate to me. I hope they will accept this small token of my appreciation for their love and friendship.

We will be bringing Rs 3,000 crore investment into this project and another Rs 3,000 crore into the coal sector. Assam will greatly benefit from this massive inflow of investment of Rs 6,000 crore. It will upgrade the infrastructure of Assam and contribute to its sustained economic growth. This project will also create massive employment. In coal extraction and transportation, and in ancillary industries.

This project is in consonance with the State Government's vision 2020 which aims at building quality infrastructure for making the State an important gateway for our trade links with China, Bangladesh and other ASEAN countries.

Electric power is the crucial input for taking the State on the trajectory of development. As the progress of the State gains momentum we need to augment power supply. Therefore we have accorded high priority to generate more power in Assam and the NTPC has been entrusted with a special responsibility to develop the 500 MW power station at Bongaingaon. The plant will use the coal available in the State. Even though it is located in Assam, the benefits of this project go well beyond the frontier of the State.

I am aware that per capita consumption of power in Assam is only around 120 units in comparison to the national average of 600 units. Our Government has a challenging vision of raising the national per capita power consumption to 1000 units in tune with the national electricity policy. We need to increase the power consumption in the State in a proportionate manner so that the developmental efforts are not hampered. I am sure our efforts would result in meeting the energy needs of all segments of population and all regions of our country in an efficient and affordable manner. I am also confident that our efforts in this direction will be consistent with sustainable growth and environmental protection.

The country is committed to create a power grid for the nation. We have dedicated ourselves to construct such a grid. Such a grid will help us to pool the power generated from different parts of the country and enable us to use it for the development of the nation. Our National Power Grid will ensure that power generated in any part of the country becomes a national asset and can be utilized anywhere irrespective of the geographical location of the plant. The capacity of the Bogaingaon Project in this sense will be harnessed as much for the people of Assam and north-eastern region as for the entire nation. This of course does not mean that the interests of Assam or for that matter of the North-eastern States will be subordinated to rest of the country.

The Power Project at Bongaingaon reflects the will and commitment of the; National Thermal Power Corporation to address the growing power requirements of our country. I am compliment NTPC for their valuable contribution to creating the country's power generation capacity. I am also happy that NTPC has diversified its activities and extended them to hydro power generation, coal mining, oil and gas exploration, power trading and power distribution. With such a track record, NTPC has come to play an important role in contributing to the country's energy security.

However, to meet the emerging challenges in the energy sector we have to take bold measures to reform the power sector. I hope State Chief Ministers will take a lead in pushing forward power sector reforms. Our Government has taken up rural electrification in a massive way through Bharat Nirman and the Rajiv Gandhi Vidyutikaran Yoajan. For us to succeed in supplying power to rural areas we have to improve the efficiency of the existing power plants and upgrade the functioning of the under-performing power stations. To realize these objectives in practice the NTPC will have to play a more vigorous role. I am happy to note that through this project the NTPC has become an important partner in the economic growth and development of Assam and all other beneficiary customers.

I am sure that the people of Assam and this entire region will take advantage of the new investment being made. On this occasion I extend my greetings to all those associated with the Bogaingaon Thermal Power Project and wish the people and the Government of Assam all success in their endeavour to make Assam a modern and progressive State.