Investments in a strong transmission network within the state and a clear and firm stand to prevent electricity theft in rural areas went a long way in ensuring access to power at market prices, according to Saurabh Patel, Gujarat’s Minister of Finance, Energy and Petrochemicals, and Industry & Mines.

Patel was addressing IIM Ahmedabad's students of PGPX - the one-year MBA programme offered by country's top business school.

The government actions resulted in about 18,000 villages having access to power 24 hours a day. The move raised the standard of living in villages - improving education, access to water, education outcomes, and enabling several small and large-scale industries to compete effectively and increase profits.

In the power sector, Gujarat has 23000 MW of capacity to address a peak demand of 13800 MW. Despite Gujarat's excess capacity, power-deficient states are unable to benefit as much because of some states' inability to pay and poor transmission systems across the country, added patel according to a press statement.

Patel also said, the government would focus on partnering with businesses, increasing the representation of women in the workforce in rural sectors, investing in education, and on promoting manufacturing units in the state in the future.

The minister attributed a large part of the increase in the state's GDP to these steps. Today Gujarat holds a share of close to seven per cent of India's GDP.

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