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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved two big hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh. A total investment of more than Rs 40,000 crore will be made under these projects, which is expected to bring a big change in the fields of power generation, infrastructure and employment in the state.

The first project is the Kalai-II Hydro Electric Project, which will be developed on the Lohit River in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh. The project will cost Rs 14,105.83 crore and will take approximately 78 months to complete.

This project with 1200 MW capacity is expected to generate about 4852.95 million units of electricity every year. This will be the first hydro project in the Lohit Basin, which will play an important role in strengthening the power supply in the state as well as balancing the national grid.

The project will be implemented through a joint venture between THDC India Limited and the Government of Arunachal Pradesh. The Central Government will provide assistance of Rs 599.88 crore for the development of infrastructure such as roads, bridges and transmission lines for this project, along with central financial assistance of Rs 750 crore for the state’s equity share. The project will provide 12 percent free power to the state, while 1 percent power will be earmarked for the Local Area Development Fund (LADF).

Apart from this, the Cabinet has also approved Kamla Hydro Electric Project, which has a capacity of 1720 MW and an investment of Rs 26,069.50 crore will be made on it. The project will be developed in Kamle, Kra Dadi and Kurung Kumeya districts of Arunachal Pradesh and will take approximately 96 months to complete. This project is likely to generate about 6870 million units of electricity every year.

Kamala Project will be implemented under the joint venture of NHPC Limited and Government of Arunachal Pradesh. The Central Government will provide assistance of Rs 4743.98 crore for flood control and Rs 1340 crore for infrastructure development in this project. Apart from this, the state will also get 12 per cent free power and 1 per cent allocation for LADF.

Both these projects will lead to rapid development of infrastructure in remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh. About 29 km of roads and bridges will be constructed under the Kalai-II project, while about 196 km of roads and bridges will be developed in the Kamala project. Along with this, essential facilities like hospital, school and market will also be constructed, which will directly benefit the local people.

The government believes that these projects will not only increase power generation, but will also create new employment opportunities and accelerate the socio-economic development of the region. Also, these projects will prove to be a big step towards making Northeast India self-reliant in the field of energy.