Union power and new and renewable energy minister Raj Kumar Singh on Monday upped the ante for West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee over her opposition to the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that entails de-licensing the power distribution business and making the sector more competitive.

In a communication dated 13 September to Banerjee reviewed by Mint, Singh wrote, “One of the proposals in this bill (2021) is to delicense distribution. The existing distribution companies will continue working as they are — however their monopoly will go and they will have to face competition. Presently, the people do not have a choice, they have to bear with a distribution company even if it is inefficient, its service is poor and the tariff is high."