Latest news with #RahulShinde
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
GPs in B'gavi district save Rs 13cr in annual power bills, thanks to energy audit
Belagavi: Leveraging his background in electrical engineering, Belagavi zilla panchayat (ZP) CEO Rahul Shinde implemented a district-wide energy audit that saved gram panchayats (GP) a staggering Rs 13 crore in annual electricity expenditure. The success of this initiative drew the attention of state officials, and the officer is now preparing to present the model to the state panchayats across the district spend significant amounts on electricity to power drinking water supply systems and streetlights, often struggling to pay the rising costs. By Feb-end, GPs owed Rs 147 crore in cumulative unpaid electricity bills to Hubli Electricity Supply Company (Hescom) .Concerned by the mounting dues, Shinde launched a detailed investigation and identified systemic inefficiencies and lapses across the district's 500-odd GPs. A total of 16,580 Revenue Register (RR) Numbers (electricity connections availed by GPs) were surveyed. The findings were alarming. The key lapses identified were as follows: penalties levied by Hescom for unmetered water pumping, interest charges (1%) due to delayed bill payments, fixed charges for inactive or defunct connections that were not officially disconnected, unauthorised connections to borewells leading to fines, mismatch in sanctioned load and actual usage, lack of monthly reconciliation with Hescom, and neglect in availing a Rs 1 rebate per unit on electricity used for LED streetlights."Most panchayats were unaware or negligent about availing LED rebates or disconnecting unused lines. These issues, though avoidable, were draining GP funds," said Rahul drive and impact:In coordination with Hescom, a massive rectification campaign was conducted. Through this drive, 1,470 unused connections were permanently disconnected, while 823 new connections were formally approved. Another 654 connections were shifted to proper locations, and load corrections were made in 3,725 cases. Most notably, tariffs for 4,101 connections were converted to LED rates, and 48 private connections misusing GP power supply were these rectifications, a total of Rs 12.7 crore was saved for the GPs. Rs 1.9 crore was saved just by converting to LED tariffs, while Rs 10.8 crore was saved through other district-wide rectification campaign began on April 3 in three phases. In the first phase, survey teams conducted site visits and reported the status of all electricity connections. In the second phase, correction measures were initiated by submitting applications to Hescom. The third phase involved consistent follow-ups with Hescom to ensure the changes were implemented. In total, 62 coordination meetings were held — six at the district level and 56 at the taluk level."Due to our intervention, unnecessary spending by GPs on electricity has come to a halt. We cut penalties, corrected tariffs, disconnected private usage, and ensured every rupee saved can now be used for development," ZP CEO Rahul Shinde told to the office, if replicated across Karnataka, this model could potentially save the state between Rs 150 crore to Rs 200 crore annually.
The Hindu
05-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Handicraft by local shepherds to be on display at Belagavi airport in Karnataka
Handicraft items made by the shepherding women of Kadoli village will soon be available for sale at Belagavi airport in Sambra. This was decided after a team of senior officers visited the craft centre run by the Self Help Groups (SHGs) in Kadoli village. Rahul Shinde, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer, said that the products include traditional products made by Kadoli women like handbags, shawls and caps, and innovative products like coasters, mouse pads and table top stationary. 'The airport stall is earning up to ₹2 lakh per month. Even if the local handicrafts persons manage to earn a 10% share in that amount, it would be a good beginning,' he said. He pointed out that the ZP will work with the local SHGs in training their women members in art, marketing, and finance management. 'We will also try to provide all the SHGs and artisans from the district an online platform to sell their produce under the Sanjeevini - National Rural Livelihood Mission - Karnataka,' he said. Mr. Shinde was among the senior officers who visited the Kadoli crafts centre, along with Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan, and Superintendent of Police Bheemashankar S. Guled. They interacted with the women, their trainers and chief mentor G. N. Gopikrishna. They saw various products being made from sheep wool, felt, and vegetable tanned leather. The officers appreciated the skills of Shivaraj Pujeri, a young man from Kadakol village, who has mastered the art of making felt shoes with and without soles. They urged him to produce shoes for men and women in different sizes. Mr. Roshan asked the women to scale up their production capacity, and expand their market. He assured all help in their endeavour. Dr. Guled urged the women to acquire additional skills to introduce finesse in their products, and to improve their overall quality and longevity. Neelakanth Mama, a local community leader, urged the officials to take long-term steps, like preserving community grazing land and vaccination of sheep, to protect the community. He urged the government to train local youth as para-veterinarians to help them identify animal epidemics, isolate affected herds, assist veterinarians in treating them, and vaccinating the rest. Mahesh Jadhav, co-founder of Mahesh Foundation, a Belagavi-based NGO, has worked with the ZP in setting up the airport stall. He said introducing local wool and felt products in the airport stall was a good idea as it would empower women artisans. The foundation's women volunteers are always on the lookout for various handicrafts and other local products to be showcased in the airport. The SHGs promoted by our NGO are now running a craft outlet in the foundation headquarters at Kanabargi. They are also running the Akka Cafe in the Belagavi ZP premises.
