Employees have urged CM Yogi Adityanath to take over the department from Sharma, saying the minister had reneged on agreements with them and was pushing privatisation.
The Indian government must reform its model of state ownership of DISCOMs. A more market-driven approach will improve autonomy, and financial viability.
The road to discom privatisation has several challenges— resistance from stakeholders, political interference, and disputes over tariff structures, to name a few.
When high tariff paying customers leave, discom finances will further deteriorate. Discoms, therefore, find ways to not allow open access to keep customers captive.
In its letter to states & UTs, power ministry says large regulatory assets created by SERCs without specifying mandatory trajectory for their recovery is in contravention of law.
The tenders, floated by 4 power distribution companies in the state, are part of the Modi govt's all-India push to upgrade and improve the power distribution network in India.
RBI data shows Indian discoms owe power generation firms over Rs 4.5 lakh crore, almost a third of which is owed by Tamil Nadu, where power subsidy cost is twice that of food subsidy.
In 109 of 165 thermal power plants that are currently operational, the actual coal stock is less than 25 per cent of normative stock that they are mandated to keep.
The collusion between the new class of bureaucrats, politicians, businessmen and trade union bosses perpetuates itself partly because of the short-run benefits and partly because they see no way out of the system, wrote author MH Mody in 1980.
IAF is firming up plans to revamp airlift capabilities with medium transport aircraft that will be assembled in India & serve as its main workhorse. Embraer is leading contender as of now.
COMMENTS