Minister of State for Power Mr K.C. Venugopal has said that all villages in the country will be electrified soon.

Addressing the India Energy Congress in New Delhi on Tuesday, Mr Venogopal said that work has already begun in more than one lakh un-electrified villages.

Noting that the demand for electricity will increase in coming years, Mr Venugopal asserted that the customers should have access to clean and sustainable power at the cheapest rate.

He said that, better demand side management is essential to control the peaking shortage of power.

Stressing the need to reduce the losses to power distribution companies, he said the Ministry is also finalising eight smart grid pilots worth 500 Crore rupees to improve the distribution business.

AIR Correspondent reports that, the two day conference was inaugurated by Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Monday and was attended by delegates from India and abroad who deliberated on emerging opportunities and challenges in energy sector.