Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Monday dedicated to the nation three major power projects, all of which were already under commercial operation for more than six months.

Vajpayee dedicated the Rs 3,650 crore (Rs 36.5 billion) Simhadri power generation plant of the NTPC, the Rs 1,684 crore (Rs 16.84 billion) Chamera Hydro project of NHPC and the Rs 263 crore (Rs 2.63 billion) transmission project of PGCIL in the Northeast through video conferencing.

The prime minister said the power sector would see the same changes that the telecom and road sectors had witnessed.

Emphasising the role of good infrastructure for speedier development of the nation, Vajpayee conceded that the shortage of electricity had proven to be the bane of economic development and said if his party was voted to power again, it would work for the cherished goal of electricity for all homes by 2012.

Vajpayee said the sector had been in such a bad state that even the achievement of last five years, including the passage of the Electricity Act, could not be highlighted.

He said just as there were no roads connecting villages and cities, there was no electricity even after 50 years of independence.

Vajpayee added that the government had initiated a slew of measures for the sector and the results were becoming apparent.

Among the measures he listed those announced in the interim Budget by Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, and exuded confidence that these steps and the new Electricity Act would attract the much-needed private and foreign investment in this sector.

Growth of infrastructure had been given topmost priority by the NDA government, he said. Work on the proposed harnessing of the 50,000 Megawatt (Mw) hydel power had already begun and the ministry was in the process of unveiling a 1,00,000 Mw thermal power generation plan soon, he said.

The government had also taken steps to improve the financial health of state electricity boards, Vajpayee said, adding that aid worth Rs 28,000 crore (Rs 280 billion) had been facilitated for this purpose.