Tag: Electricity

  • Electricity supply to Bhagat Singh’s house not disconnected: Punjab government

    By IANS

    CHANDIGARH: Facing criticism, the local administration of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar in Punjab on Saturday refuted the electricity supply to the ancestral house of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh was disconnected and clarified that there is no bill pending.

    “In fact, Powercom has an advance bill payment worth Rs 6,760 with them,” Deputy Commissioner Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa told the media.

    He also made an appeal to a section of the media not to use the name of ancestral house as emotions of lakhs of people are attached with this historic place.

    Earlier, Power Minister Harbhajan Singh also clarified that the power connection of the ancestral house or the museum of Shaheed Bhagat Singh at Khatkar Kalan was never disconnected.

    Meanwhile, the ancestral house of Shaheed Bhagat Singh has a separate power connection in the name of Department of Cultural Affairs.

    Born on September 28, 1907, Bhagat Singh, a source of inspiration for the nation’s youth, was hanged in the Lahore Central Jail, now in Pakistan, on March 23, 1931, along with his associates Rajguru and Sukhdev.

    His death had inspired thousands of people to join the freedom movement.

    Today, a museum in his memory at the entrance of his village, 80 km from Chandigarh on the highway to Jalandhar in Nawanshahr district, speaks about his valour.

    During his visit on the freedom fighter’s martyrdom day in 2003, former President late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said he was indeed delighted to visit the home of one of the most inspiring and revolutionary freedom fighters of Mother India.

    CHANDIGARH: Facing criticism, the local administration of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar in Punjab on Saturday refuted the electricity supply to the ancestral house of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh was disconnected and clarified that there is no bill pending.

    “In fact, Powercom has an advance bill payment worth Rs 6,760 with them,” Deputy Commissioner Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa told the media.

    He also made an appeal to a section of the media not to use the name of ancestral house as emotions of lakhs of people are attached with this historic place.

    Earlier, Power Minister Harbhajan Singh also clarified that the power connection of the ancestral house or the museum of Shaheed Bhagat Singh at Khatkar Kalan was never disconnected.

    Meanwhile, the ancestral house of Shaheed Bhagat Singh has a separate power connection in the name of Department of Cultural Affairs.

    Born on September 28, 1907, Bhagat Singh, a source of inspiration for the nation’s youth, was hanged in the Lahore Central Jail, now in Pakistan, on March 23, 1931, along with his associates Rajguru and Sukhdev.

    His death had inspired thousands of people to join the freedom movement.

    Today, a museum in his memory at the entrance of his village, 80 km from Chandigarh on the highway to Jalandhar in Nawanshahr district, speaks about his valour.

    During his visit on the freedom fighter’s martyrdom day in 2003, former President late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said he was indeed delighted to visit the home of one of the most inspiring and revolutionary freedom fighters of Mother India.

  • Around 51 lakh households to get zero electricity bill: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said around 51 lakh households in the state will receive zero electricity bills and asserted that the promise of 300 units of free power has been implemented from July 1.

    “I am going to share good news with Punjabis regarding electricity guarantee.. the promise of free electricity has come into effect from July 1..  the (electricity) bill for July-August will come in the first week of September.. The good news is that around 51 lakh households will get zero electricity bills – what we say, we do it,” Mann said in a tweet in Punjabi.

    बिजली गारंटी से संबंधित एक अच्छी खबर पंजाबियों के साथ साझा कर रहा हूं … 1 जुलाई से मुफ्त बिजली का वादा लागू हो गया है..जुलाई-अगस्त का बिल सितंबर के पहले हफ्ते में आएगा… खुशखबरी है कि लगभग 51 लाख घरों का बिजली का बिल ज़ीरो आएगा…हम जो कहते हैं, वह करते हैं।
    — Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) July 16, 2022
    The AAP-led government had earlier announced that it will provide 300 units of free electricity to every household from July 1. Giving 300 units of free electricity was one of the major poll promises of the Aam Aadmi Party during the Punjab assembly elections.

    ALSO READ | ‘Revadi culture’: PM Modi warns against garnering votes through freebies

    Party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal had promised free electricity of up to 300 units per household in the state in June last year. Kejriwal had also promised waiver of pending electricity bills and round-the-clock power supply in the state.

    In April, Mann had said if electricity consumption exceeds 600 units in two months, then a consumer will have to pay for the entire power usage. But scheduled castes, backward castes, below-poverty-line households and freedom fighters will be charged just for over and above 600 units, the chief minister had then clarified.

    Punjab has a two-month billing cycle for power supply.

    ALSO READ | Free education, healthcare not freebies, but efforts towards making India No 1: Arvind Kejriwal

    When Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema presented the state budget on June 27, he had said that providing 300 units of free power will put an additional burden of Rs 1,800 crore on the state exchequer.

    In the state budget, a total power subsidy bill has been proposed at Rs 15,845 crore as against Rs 13,443 crore in 2021-22.

    Punjab provides subsided power to various categories and out of which, the subsidy bill on account of free electricity to the farming sector alone is around Rs 7,000 crore.

    CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said around 51 lakh households in the state will receive zero electricity bills and asserted that the promise of 300 units of free power has been implemented from July 1.

    “I am going to share good news with Punjabis regarding electricity guarantee.. the promise of free electricity has come into effect from July 1..  the (electricity) bill for July-August will come in the first week of September.. The good news is that around 51 lakh households will get zero electricity bills – what we say, we do it,” Mann said in a tweet in Punjabi.

    बिजली गारंटी से संबंधित एक अच्छी खबर पंजाबियों के साथ साझा कर रहा हूं … 1 जुलाई से मुफ्त बिजली का वादा लागू हो गया है..जुलाई-अगस्त का बिल सितंबर के पहले हफ्ते में आएगा… खुशखबरी है कि लगभग 51 लाख घरों का बिजली का बिल ज़ीरो आएगा…
    हम जो कहते हैं, वह करते हैं।
    — Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) July 16, 2022
    The AAP-led government had earlier announced that it will provide 300 units of free electricity to every household from July 1. Giving 300 units of free electricity was one of the major poll promises of the Aam Aadmi Party during the Punjab assembly elections.

    ALSO READ | ‘Revadi culture’: PM Modi warns against garnering votes through freebies

    Party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal had promised free electricity of up to 300 units per household in the state in June last year. Kejriwal had also promised waiver of pending electricity bills and round-the-clock power supply in the state.

    In April, Mann had said if electricity consumption exceeds 600 units in two months, then a consumer will have to pay for the entire power usage. But scheduled castes, backward castes, below-poverty-line households and freedom fighters will be charged just for over and above 600 units, the chief minister had then clarified.

    Punjab has a two-month billing cycle for power supply.

    ALSO READ | Free education, healthcare not freebies, but efforts towards making India No 1: Arvind Kejriwal

    When Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema presented the state budget on June 27, he had said that providing 300 units of free power will put an additional burden of Rs 1,800 crore on the state exchequer.

    In the state budget, a total power subsidy bill has been proposed at Rs 15,845 crore as against Rs 13,443 crore in 2021-22.

    Punjab provides subsided power to various categories and out of which, the subsidy bill on account of free electricity to the farming sector alone is around Rs 7,000 crore.

  • Niti Aayog pitches for greater operational, financial autonomy for state-owned discoms

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Government think tank Niti Aayog has pitched for greater operational and financial autonomy for state-owned discoms, saying for a state-owned utility to succeed, there should be a clear separation between utility and state.

    In a report titled ‘Turning Around the Power Distribution Sector’, Niti Aayog said the performance of state-owned discoms is also determined by the ability of the respective State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERC) to revise tariff frequently and adequately.

    “For a state-owned utility to succeed, there should be a clear separation between utility and state. The utility should have operational and financial autonomy. Good corporate governance practices, including the use of independent directors, can help ensure such separation,” it suggested.

    It pointed out that there can be a variety of distribution franchisees, from models that are essentially outsourcing revenue collection to taking care of all distribution functions in a defined area.

    “In rural areas, private investors might not find it attractive to become licensees, but a franchisee model might be attractive,” it said.

    Noting that discoms have a monopoly in their area of functioning, the think tank suggested that delicensing distribution can introduce competition and enable retail choice for customers.

    “This reform can be challenging and should be accompanied with careful market design. The feasibility of competition will depend on the size of the market, the nature of the demand, the efficiency of the incumbent and potential for growth,” the report noted.

    Niti Aayog observed that public private partnership (PPP) models can be useful in loss-making areas, where commercial operation might not be feasible without support in the form of Viability Gap Funding (VGF) from the government.

    Niti Aayog, however, pointed out that even though now India has achieved universal access to electricity, power distribution continues to be the weakest link in the supply chain of the power sector.

    “Most distribution utilities are making major losses as a consequence of expensive long-term power purchase agreements, poor infrastructure, and inefficient operations, among others.

    “These losses, in turn, prevent them from making the investments required to improve the quality of the power supply and to prepare for the wider penetration of renewable energy,” it said.

    According to Niti Aayog, the distribution utilities’ inability to pay power generators endangers the financial health of the generators and their lenders, causing a negative domino effect on the economy.

    The government think tank suggested that discoms should optimise their power purchase by procuring from the markets as suitable, and they should be rewarded for efficiency gains from the use of the market.

    Elaborating further, Niti Aayog said most power distribution companies (or discoms) incur losses every year—the total loss is estimated to be Rs 90,000 crore in FY 2021.

    “Due to these accumulated losses, discoms are unable to pay for generators on time — as of March 2021 an amount of Rs 67,917 crore was overdue,” it said.

    Niti Aayog also pointed out that many states provide subsidised and sometimes free electricity for agriculture.

    “This can lead to leakages and high losses for discoms,” it said, adding that some states, with large agricultural consumer bases such as Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, have reduced leakages by separating feeders for agricultural use from non-agricultural use.

    It also suggested that discoms can significantly decrease their power procurement costs by encouraging the use of solar pumps for agriculture.

    It observed that discoms have locked themselves into long-term, expensive power purchase agreements (PPAs).

    “As long as the markets continue to provide low-cost power, discoms should not sign new expensive long-term thermal PPA,” it opined.

    According to the government think tank, discoms should use time of day (ToD) tariffs to incentivise changes in demand patterns.

    “Dynamic tariffs, enabled by advanced metering and a smart grid, can reduce the discoms’ power purchase costs and help manage peak loads,” it said.

    Releasing the report, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said a healthy and efficient distribution sector is essential for improving the ease of doing business, and for improving ease of life.

    The report is co-authored by Niti Aayog, RMI and RMI India.

    According to an official statement, Niti Aayog member V K Saraswat said that this report presents policymakers with a menu of reform options to put the distribution sector on the track of efficiency and profitability.

    Most power distribution companies (discoms) in India incur losses every year- total losses are estimated to be as high as Rs 90,000 crore in FY2021, as per the statement.

    Due to these accumulated losses, discoms are unable to pay generators on time, make investments required to ensure high-quality power, or prepare for greater use of variable renewable energy, it added.

    Highlighting the need for addressing current challenges, Clay Stranger, Managing Director, RMI said, “A robust and long-lasting solution to the woes of the discoms requires changes in policy as well as organisational, managerial, and technological reforms.

    “Different states have travelled along different pathways of reforms, giving a rich set of policy experiments to learn from,” Stranger noted.

  • Power Outrage Leaves Over 10 Million People Without Electricity

    Thousands of households in Mexico had to live without electricity for two hours on December 28 after a power outage disrupted the country’s electricity network.  In an online statement, National Electricity Utility (CFE) stated that over 10.3 million people were affected by Monday’s power cut. The national power company added that at 2:52 p.m. the restoration of affected users began and is subject to the instructions of the National Energy Control Commission (Cenace), which must guarantee the security of the National Electric System. 

    Cenace reported that the reason for the blackout that is affecting several states in the country is that at 2:28 p.m. (Central Time) there was an imbalance in the National Interconnected System, between charging and power generation, causing a loss of approximately 7,500 MW. The National Interconnected System (SIN) is the main electrical system of Mexico and geographically covers cities of Puerto Peñasco, Sonora to Cozumel, Quintana Roo.

  • Collector reviews the preparation of Godan Nyaya Yojana and Paddy Procurement: meeting of deadline

    83 nodal officers have been appointed for all paddy procurement centers in the district. Collector Shri Jai Prakash Maurya while reviewing the preparation of paddy procurement in the meeting of deadline today, has directed the nodal officers to verify the necessary arrangements before starting the paddy procurement on support price in Kharif marketing year 2020-21. . In which the selection of site for the procurement centers, cleanliness, facings, electrical system, computer, printer, UPS, generators, gunny bags in the current condition, availability of platforms, verification of cap cover, arrangement of drainage, etc. Is included. Also, the Revenue, Food and related departments were directed that if any application related to registration of a farmer for paddy purchase in Kharif season is received, then it should be dismantled giving top priority. Emphasized to make necessary arrangements for prevention of corona infection in all paddy procurement centers.
    In the time-limit meeting held from 11 am in the collectorate meeting room, the collector reviewed the time-limit cases and stressed on their quality disposal. Also, strict instructions have been given that maximum number of cases should be disposed of before the next deadline meeting, otherwise strict action will be taken against the concerned. He also emphasized the quality of the cases received by the Chief Minister Janchaupal, the letter received from the office of the Minister in-charge, Collector Janchaupal. During the meeting, the Collector, while reviewing the Godhan Nyaya Yojana, took the information of cow dung from Gauthan block-wise. Chief Executive Officer Janpad Panchayats told that dung is being procured in 39 Gothans in Dhamtari, 32 in Nagri, 30 in Magarlod and 48 in Kurud. On this occasion, the collector has asked the agricultural staff to be vigilant on the quality of the produce and sample testing. He is a C.C.B. Directed the nodal officer of the state to ensure online entry of sale of vermi fertilizer. Chief Executive Officer, District Panchayat Smt. Namrata Gandhi, other district level officers and block level officers were present through video conference.

  • Raipur: Farmers are happy with getting enough electricity every day

    The Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited, with the objective of providing adequate facilities for farming to farmers, is being actively pursued to provide electrical connections for the pumps. Electricity connection has been provided to the pumps of 16 farmers of village Dhaurabhata, Birsinga, Manpur, Marka, Ranbod, Hathmudi, Meena, Ghorha and Singhanpuri villages of Nawagarh Subdivision of Bemetara district.

        Shri Bhuvan Das, a farmer of village Dhaurabhata said that due to lack of adequate irrigation facilities, he had to depend on rain. Due to the cooperation of the state government and the readiness of the power department, the pump connection has been found, due to which the biggest concern of agricultural work has been removed. Shri Bodhiram, a farmer of village Marka, says that he is happy to get the pump connection, and thanks the power department that he provided the power supply by providing the transformer by arranging the pole and line on time. Farmer Shri Kewal Kurre of village Manpur said that earlier there was a worry about the crop drying up due to lack of irrigation. He said that with the permanent connection of the irrigation pump, I will be able to produce the crop better. The state government and the electricity department took care of the family. Now the family is happy and I am happy too. The farmers expressed their gratitude to the Chief Minister of the state.

    Mr. Sanjay Patel, Executive Director of Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited, Durg Region, said that pump connection supply is being done in the area at a rapid pace, so that farmers can get enough water for agricultural work and crop production can be improved. He said that as per the intention of the State Government, the power company was always ready to energize new agricultural pumps at the earliest and provide uninterrupted power supply to the energized pumps.