The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) on Wednesday said it has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consult all stakeholders on Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021.

"The proposed changes in the Act 2003 have far-reaching changes and leaving the major stakeholders out of consultation is really shocking. The whole exercise to rush through Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021 is thus nontransparent, undemocratic, and discriminatory in nature," AIPEF spokesperson V K Gupta alleged in .. in a statement.

So, AIPEF has written to the Prime Minister that electricity consumers, power employees, and engineers who are the major stakeholders in the power sector should be consulted before sending draft Electricity (Amendment ) Bill 2021 to Parliament, the statement said.

AIPEF Chairman Shailendra Dubey said Power Minister R K Singh held a video conferencing with power secretaries and CMDs (heads) of power utilities to discuss the proposed changes in the Electricity Act .2003

.
This was followed by a video conferencing with the electricity regulators of all states on the draft bill. The Prime Minister addressed the industry associations on the changes proposed in the draft bill, he added.

Now it has been reported that the draft bill is circulated to various ministries and sent to the law ministry for vetting, AIPEF said.

The federation was also dismayed over the ministry not interacting with the consumers and power sector employees and engineers, it said.

Power sector engineers and employees under the umbrella of National Co-ordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE ) will launch an agitation against any unilateral move to rush through Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021 in Parliament, Dubey said.