Date : December 17, 2004
Ministry of Power, U.S. Agency for International Developments, and DRUM partner Indian institutions' representatives at the Memorandum of Understanding signing event - December 17, 2004
In a significant step toward continued bilateral cooperation,
the United States and India have launched a program to train
25,000 energy sector personnel in India over the next several
years. The program, to be implemented jointly by the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Power,
is critical to India's overall development.
Unveiled last week as part of USAID's Distribution Reform, Upgrades,
and Management (DRUM) project, the activity will build the capacity
of utilities to reduce distribution losses, enhance the quality
and reliability of power supply, improve financial and commercial
performance, and increase customer satisfaction.
Ministry of Power Secretary R.V. Shahi inaugurated the event
that was held on December 17, 2004, which included a signing
ceremony between USAID partner, CORE International, Inc., and
10 Indian training institutions that will train thousands of
utility managers, engineers, and technicians throughout the country.
Indian training institutions participating in the program included
the National Power Training Institute, Centre for Efficiency
in Power Distribution at NDPL, Central Institute for Rural Electrification,
National Productivity Council, The Energy Resources Institute,
Indian Institute of Technology - Kanpur, the Reliance Management
Institute, and the Power Management Institute, among others.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary Shahi urged all partners
in the program to consider training electricity distribution
employees as a national mission. The institutions form the heart
of the DRUM training initiative and will begin delivery of courses
in January 2005. Involving Indian institutions from the start
will help sustain the effort in the future.
Effective training will bring about change in the power sector
to facilitate a strong customer focus and a determined approach
to achieve commercial viability of the sector. Reliable power
fuels economic growth and reduces poverty in both rural and urban
areas. It will help bring a brighter future to millions of Indians.
Source: www.usaid.gov/in
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