Even as rural areas of Madhya Pradesh continue to reel under long load-shedding, Minister of State of Energy (Independent Charge) Rajendra Shukla is hopeful that the electricity crisis will become a thing of the past by 2013.

"Madhya Pradesh is going to be self-sufficient in power generation by 2013," Shukla told PTI in an interview.

He claimed the Madhya Pradesh's installed power generation capacity was around 3000 mw in 2003 during the Congress regime in the state and this has gone up to 6000 mw now after the BJP came to the power.

"What the Congress could not do in 50 years, we have done it in just six years," he claimed.

He said that in the next three years, the MP's installed power generation capacity will go up by 5000 mw more.

In 2013, the peak electricity demand is expected to be 11,000 mw and our installed power generation capacity will be the same, he said.

Shukla said that the peak demand in Madhya Pradesh during Rabi season was over 7000 mw against which MP was having around 6000 mw as of now. .

Shukla said that the many new hydel and thermal power units have come up in the state in last six years, adding that they are working hard to raise new power projects with the help of Joint Ventures and private participation.

The minister said that efforts are underway to bring down the energy distribution loss, including pilferage which was over 30 per cent in Madhya Pradesh.

A drive was on against power theft in the state and huge amounts as fine are being recovered from people indulged in pilferage, the Minister said.

About the current power crisis, Shukla said that they were not getting adequate and good quality coal from the Centre to make optimum use of the thermal stations.

Apart from this, he said that the some power generation units about 30 year-old, need urgent renovation and modernisation in the state.

For renovation and modernisation of such units, the Minister said that Madhya Pradesh Power Generating Company Limited (MPPGCL) has sought Rs 550-crore loan from Power Finance Commission (PFC).

Asked about the lengthy night hour power cuts in rural areas likely to impact the future of the students preparing to write their final tests, he said that the duration of power cuts have been shortened.