Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources, Housing & Urban Affairs, Hardeep S Puri, in a recent letter addressed to Union Minister of State for Education and External Affairs, RK Ranjan Singh on Tuesday said the North East Gas Grid (NEGG) project, spearheaded by Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL) is underway.
Comprising IOCL, ONGC, GAIL, OIL, and NRL, the NEGG project, spanning 1660 km and costing Rs 9265 crore, aims to supply natural gas to all eight Northeastern states, including Manipur, it maintained.
It further said that approximately 94 km of the pipeline traverses through Manipur, facilitating the development of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations and Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections. It stated that this strategic initiative is poised to leverage the Northeast region’s rich hydrocarbon potential, fostering sustainable growth and energy accessibility in the region.
He underscored the people-centric approach of the Narendra Modi-led Union Government in various transformative initiatives in Manipur.
The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Resources has successfully navigated challenges, ensuring that despite global escalations, petrol and diesel prices in Bharat have remained stable in the past two years, distinguishing the nation from developed countries and neighbouring counterparts, stated a release.
It claimed that amidst surging international crude oil prices, the Central Government’s strategic reduction of Central Excise Duty has led to a substantial decrease of rupees 13 and rupees 16 per litre for petrol and diesel, respectively, directly benefiting consumers and mitigating the impact of soaring global crude oil prices.
It noted the commendable increase in ethanol blending, from 1.53 per cent in 2014 to an impressive 11.8 percent in 2023, has not only significantly curbed carbon emissions but has also resulted in substantial foreign exchange savings amounting to rupees 73,000 crore, it stated.
It asserted that the flagship Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has played a pivotal role in transforming rural households, providing clean cooking fuel, empowering women, and enhancing overall health. With 31.64 crore active LPG consumers, the PMUY initiative has already benefited 9.60 crore households, it added.
It also mentioned the government’s recent decision to provide an additional 75 lakh Ujjwala connections and asserted that the same is set to raise the total number of PMUY beneficiaries to 10.35 crore. The collaborative efforts of the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) and unwavering support from the state government to bolster energy infrastructure and accessibility in the Inner-Manipur Lok Sabha constituency have yielded impressive results, it commended.
It added that the region has witnessed an 80 per cent surge in the number of petrol pumps and a remarkable 79 per cent increase in total LPG connections, currently standing at 4.3 lakhs, and said that it is an extraordinary improvement from the statistics of 2014 to 2023.Additionally, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects, valued at 3.65 crores, have significantly contributed to the overall development of the constituency, it maintained.
