Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's recent china visit was forget to note that, the less and less power cuts even in remotest parts of the country. Though the visit was debated more for the political and strategic reasons, India has to learn a lot from china on how to electrify remote villages. This is so particularly when India has come out with a radical electricity generation bill that allows everybody to generate and distribute power.

The country's per capita consumption of electricity is about 400 kw/hr. We need to add over 1,00,000 mw in next10 years. According to the government, that electricity made available for all villages by 2012. And 41,000 mw of electricity will be generated during the 10 th plan and about 60,000 mw during the next five years.

Above all to follow the Chaina's electrification policy and example like the very neighboring country Nepal . Electricity has to be used locally to avoid transmission loss, micro and mini-projects and the community participation for the suitable implementation. The rural electrification programme in India faced a similar challenge of electrifying vast inaccessible areas.

In 1960s, Chaina implemented to electrify around 48% of its total remote areas. It adopted the now-famous self-construction, self-management and self-consumption policy where the local administration owned and implemented small hydropower projects. The money comes from the local sources only. Unlike India , the Chaina government limited its role to that of an observer. Simultaneously it enforced technical standards and funded research into new technologies. The result was amazing: around 300 million people in rural areas got electricity through small hydropower station they built and maintained. In 1975, only 50.6 percent of villages were electrified, unbelievably in 1996 it reached to 94.3 percent.

In 1985 Chain's ministry of water resources launched an energy based poverty alleviation programme to electrify 300 counties by 2000. They implemented small hydropower projects and fused irrigation and flood control works with electricity projects.

China's rural decentralized electrification drive has helped its rural poverty substantially. Chaina has crossed the stage of institutionalization of its decentralized electricity generation programme. Now looking forward to better management of its power.

By taking example another neighboring country, Nepal is the first South Asian country to privatise its power sector. In 1985 it delicensed projects up to 100 kw to upgrade the ghatts (traditional water mills). Even for hydro projects in Nepal , the Agricultural Developmental Bank (ADB) funding extensively. The communities can also decide on the distribution and the cost of power. The government does not take any royalty or tax from these projects. Instead, it gives soft loans, subsidies and tax exemptions on electrical machines as incentives.

In 1977, the government decided to form Small Hydel Development Board for supplying electricity to remote areas. In 1981, the ministry of water resources prepared a national development strategy 'through the utilization of water and hydropower generation. Then the started funding microhydel projects in 1981 and now supports 80 percent of the microhydel projects in the country. In 1984, the government was decided to delicense all electricity installation under 100 kw capacity. In 1985 - 86, the government announced a subsidy on the electrification costs of the private installation. It made electrification more attractive; also exclusive power generation units come up.

Decentralized and community-based rural energy programme started in 1996 and has emerged as a model for other countries to emulate. This community organization is a self-governing board based institution.

Shock at home:

Community based electricity generation remains a distant dream for India , mostly in the Himalayan range could not be linked with the national grid, despite their huge potential for generating in their backyard.

In India , the Central Electricity Act, 1948, does not allow individuals, communities or cooperatives to take up electricity generation and distribution. Only a private bound to sell power. Alone in Uttaranchal about, 3,000villages are yet to be electrified, Ironically, these are the villages with huge potential for hydropower.

Rural electrification in India comes under the jurisdiction of state electricity boards. But the nodal agency is the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) which implements national programmes through the state boards. The share of hydelpower in the total installed capacity in India has been declining in successive plans. In 1967-68, hydro projects had a 46 percent, which has already declined to 24 percent in 1998. Only one third electric supply is consumed in the rural areas, despite the fact that three-forth of total population is living in rural areas.

Despite the government's apathy, many states are realizing that the community based run of the river hydel projects can do away with their power crisis. States such as Kerala and Himachal pradesh have initiated their own version of decentralization in power generation.

A country like India must commit itself to sustainable of generation and consumption of energy, so as to ensure energy to the future generation.