The Union Minister of State for Power Jyotiraditya M Scindia has stated that 19 hydroelectric projects in some states like Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are waiting for clearances from the union environmental and forest department. He added that his Ministry has taken up the matter with the Union Environment Ministry and as a result a few projects have been cleared.    

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, the Minister said on August 22 that the cabinet committee on infrastructure, in its meeting on July 31, directed the Defence Ministry to accord no-objection certificate to the 3097-mw Etalin project in Arunachal Pradesh.    

To expedite commissioning of hydel power projects in India, the Ministry has taken several steps, including review by the Central Electricity Authority, power projects monitoring panel of the power ministry and the task force on hydro power development, he added.