Subsidy Shortfall and Costly Power Purchases Fuel Punjab’s Blackouts

According to Wading, the state government failed to devise a pre‑summer power‑purchase plan, forcing PSPCL to buy electricity from private traders at a rate of ₹8.10 per unit, double the earlier price of ₹4‑5 per unit. He also highlighted that while the government promised a subsidy of ₹22,000 crore to PSPCL under various schemes, only ₹15,000 crore was actually disbursed. The remaining ₹7,000 crore was claimed as profit, but when the profit did not materialise, PSPCL had to take a loan of ₹10,000 crore, paying a commission of ₹150 crore to a private intermediary.