CHANDIGARH: Ministry of Power has issued the draft of major amendments proposed to be carried out in the National Electricity Policy 2021. The proposed changes would require extensive discussion and debate amongst power engineers and other stakeholders. All India Power Engineers Federation demands that the ill-timed draft amendment be put on hold and the time period for submission of comments be extended for a period of six months, said V K Gupta spokesperson AIPEF.
The AIPEF in the letter to the Union Power Minister mentions that the issues contained in the draft proposal are of serious nature for which the present situation of a pandemic is a serious constraint. Ministry of Power has once again found peak pandemic time as an opportunity in crisis to launch the draft amendments to National Electricity Policy.
The letter further mentions that once the draft policy is finalised, the notified policy would have the status of “subordinate legislation”, and for this reason, the matters need to deliberate as in the case of the legislation itself or as in the case of amendment in Act itself.
V K Gupta said that the draft has been floated in a public forum by the Ministry of Power for getting comments from stakeholders. The Union power ministry has asked states and industry associations to submit their suggestions for framing the national electricity policy (NEP), 2021 within the next three weeks, but the most important stakeholders, the power engineers, and employees have been left out. They must be given a fair opportunity to submit their views and objections.
Draft national electricity policy is pushing for more private participation in the power sector and removing the monopoly of state-run Discoms. The preferred suggested route being suggested are failed models like the franchisee system, transferring distribution responsibility to a private party, and separation of carriage(lines ) and content (supply)business.
It has been observed on several occasions in the past also, that the Govt. of India in being guided and controlled by a lobby of economists whose priority is to dismantle the public sector and promote privitisation.
The government of India is adopting the strategy of exploiting grave crisis conditions of the pandemic to push through so-called “reforms” which would not have been possible under normal circumstances. The strategy is clear to “never waste a crisis” and use the crisis to steamroll so-called reforms.