NEA distributes electricity metres for free in Chepang settlements

Kathmandu- Electricity supply has been connected via the national grid to the remote settlements in Dhading and Chitwan with majority Chepang population. The Chepangs are a minority community.

Electrification has been carried out at remote Chepang settlements at Gajuri and Benighat Rorang rural municipalities in Dhading district and at Ichhakamana rural municipality in Chitwan, extending the national power transmission line. The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has also provided electricity metres to the Chepang households at free of cost. NEA has been distributing electricity metres for free to the backward and economically impoverished families unable to afford the device for expanding their access to electricity.

The people belonging to the indigent class are provided with a ‘single-phase energy metre of 5-30 amperes capacity’ and MCB box as per the NEA standard free of cost under this scheme. NEA also does not charge fees for installing the metres. NEA Managing Director Kulman Ghising announced at a programme organized at Kaling, Ward No 1 of Ichhakamana rural municipality today that the rural municipality has achieved full electrification. On the occasion, the NEA Executive Director also distributed the free-of-cost electricity metres to the people of the local Chepang community.

NEA has spent Rs 150 million in the current fiscal year alone for electrification in seven wards of Ichhakamana rural municipality. Ghising said that NEA has been carrying out works on full electrification of the country through the budget provided to it by the government, the NEA’s earnings and taking concessional loans from international financial institutions.