About 708 remote villages and hamlets have been electrified in the north-eastern States so far under the Remote Village Electrification (RVE) programme of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, with about 1,167 projects under implementation in villages/hamlets, according to a PIB press release. The release said that in Meghalaya, about 25 villages have been electrified with 72 projects under implementation. The Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) has identified 2,710 remote villages and hamlets where grid connectivity is either not feasible nor cost-effective. The States have been urged to prepare proposals for electrification of these villages. The Ministry has accorded special attention to this region as low consumption levels of electric power characterize the entire region and a large number of villages are too remote to be electrified through grid extension. Accordingly, recent initiatives have reflected significant achievements under the programme in various NE States. An amount of Rs 48.30 crore has been allocated as 10 per cent of the gross budgetary support for NE region during 2007-08 under the various renewable energy programmes of the Ministry, according to the release.