February 17, 2011. Outlining the efforts to promote Chhattisgarh as country's power hub, Governor Sekhar Dutt said the state plans to invest about Rs. 17,000 crore in the next three years in electricity generation, transmission and distribution and also to speed up the pace of development in the tribal areas despite the pressure being mounted by the Maoists. Referring to rural electrification, the Governor said 97 per cent of villages have been electrified as against the national average of 83.80 per cent while villages in the remote and accessible locations were being electrified through solar power. He said 1.95 lakh irrigation pumps have been energized and farmers, using pumps up to five horse power, were being provided electricity free of cost.