Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today dedicated the 1000MW ( 2X500 MW) stage I of Mouda Super Thermal Power Project to the nation in Mouda in Nagpur district of Maharashtra . Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister declared that providing electricity to everyone across the country is the topmost priority of the Government. He said that for any country to progress, priority has to be given to infrastructure. If we can deliver durable infrastructure, possibilities of development increase, he added, stating that even among all kinds of infrastructure, power is most important, as it is a crucial element in bringing about change in the quality of life of the people. The Prime Minister said that even so many years after independence, power had not reached every nook and corner of the country, and in many areas there were acute power shortages. But he reiterated his Government`s resolve to provide power to all. The Prime Minister mentioned the stress he had laid on hydropower during his recent visits to Bhutan and Nepal, as well as to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He said the aim of the Government is to tap all sources of energy, with emphasis on clean energy, especially solar energy. The Prime Minister recalled the plight of debt-ridden farmers in Vidarbha, who were forced to commit suicide. He said, if they had access to electricity, they could have pumped the water necessary to irrigate their fields, saved their crop, and hence avoided falling into debt. The Prime Minister announced the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana on August 28th, and appealed to the farmers to avail of the benefits of the scheme, which included a bank account, a debit card, and an insurance amount of Rs. One lakh. He also spoke of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, which aimed at providing sufficient water to the farmer for irrigation. Shri.Narendra Modi pointed out that working towards ensuring fuel for our power projects for maximum production of electricity, but we need to use the generated electricity judiciously. Save electricity should be made compulsory topic for students in the school and taken as a mission by all. The Governor of Maharashtra Shri K. Sankaranarayanan, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari, and MoS(I/c) for Power Shri Piyush Goyal , Shri D. Chowdhary, Addl Secy. Power, Govt. of India and Dr Arup Roy Choudhury , CMD, NTPC were also present on the occasion. MOUDA SUPER THERMAL POWER PROJECT STAGE-I (1000 MW); With an investment of Rs. 5459 crore in stage I and proposed investment of Rs. 7921 crore for stage II, the project is poised to be the biggest power station of NTPC in the State. Power from Mouda stage- I is supplied to the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jammu Kashmir and UTs Daman Diu & Dadar Nagar Haveli. Situated in Nagpur Distt. of Maharashtra, the project will have ultimate capacity of 2320 MW on completion of 1320 MW ( 2X660MW) stage II of the project where construction with target commissioning in the early 13th plan. The main plant package of stage I was awarded to BHEL in 2008, the first 500MW unit of the project commenced commercial operation in March 2013 and second in March 2014. NTPC supplies about 4135 MW of power to the state of Maharashtra from its various power stations. The existing stations of NTPC in the state are 1000 MW Mouda stage I and 1967 MW Ratnagiri Gas Power station ( A JV of NTPC, GAIL , MSEB and FIs). The company has 2640 MW capacity under construction in the state at Mouda II (1320MW) and Solapur ( 1320MW) which are likely to commence commercial operations by early 13th plan.