Affordable electricity for all in 5 years: PM

Affordable access to energy is one of the main challenges which the world faces today, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Tuesday.

New Delhi: Affordable access to energy is one of the main challenges which the world faces today, and India will ensure electricity to households in the next five years, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Tuesday.

"Our goal is to provide electricity to all 600,000 villages of India. More than 100,000 villages were provided connections in recent years. Now, only few thousand households remain un-electrified," the Prime Minister said. "Our aim is to provide 24/7 affordable electricity to all households in the next five years," the Prime Minister said, inaugurating an international seminar on energy access co-organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Globally, he said, 1.3 billion people had no access to electricity. IANS