Jammu, Mar 27: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said that a draft J&K hydel policy 2025 has been framed and placed in the public domain for stakeholder feedback.
In reply to a question of member Javaid Iqbal in the assembly on harnessing small rivers and providing cheaper electricity locally, Abdullah said, “Draft J&K hydel policy 2025 has been framed based on learnings from the past and outcome of the previous polices, best practices from neighbouring states have also been incorporated”.
“The draft has been put in the public domain for comments and suggestions from various stakeholders and the general public. After due consideration of the inputs, the policy shall be finalised and notified.”
The policy aims to promote the development of small hydro projects by bringing private investment into the sector, generating employment and boosting local socio-economic conditions, he said.
Under the proposed policy, the chief minister said that developers will be required to supply free power or royalty to the UT after a specified period of commercial operation, which would reduce the government’s power purchase costs and benefit consumers across the region.
“The supply of free power by IPPs to J&K reduces the overall cost of purchase of electricity and consequently benefits the power consumers of the whole UT,” he added.
