In the midst of a pandemic, when the economy of the whole nation is paralysed and the administration is in the doldrums, the Union Ministry of Power issued a public notice on April 17, detailing drastic changes in the Electricity Act, proposing huge concessions to private sector players at the cost of state power utilities and discoms that are already facing an unprecedented financial crisis. The Centre is trying to usurp the states’ powers, apart from creating problems, especially payment of subsidies to various categories of consumers and powers of states to appoint the regulatory commission chairman and privatisation of distribution. The PM must intervene and put on hold the ill-timed amendment to the statute proposed to be enacted in Parliament.

VK Gupta, Kurukshetra