Power Ministers' 2-day conference in Bihar cancelled

NEW DELHI: The two-day power ministers' conference to be held in Rajgir, Bihar starting Friday has been called off at the last minute due to unavoidable circumstances.

Sources said the meeting was called off as Union power and renewable energy minister R K Singh has to attend a council of ministers meeting in New Delhi, his first such meeting in the ministerial rank.

The meeting had to be cancelled even as power ministers of some states and about 60 officials from the union power ministry and attached PSUs had reached Rajgir on Thursday. The new schedule for the bi-annual meeting is not known, sources said.

The two-day conference had proposed to brainstorm on big-ticket power sector reforms including direct transfer of subsidy and strict laws obligating distribution utilities to provide round-the-clock power and connection portability.

Singh was expected to discuss dishonouring the power purchase agreements (PPAs) by states and also deliberate on ways to accelerate village and household electrification and promotion of digital payments.

Measures to transfer benefits from the state government in the form of subsidy for power consumption directly to the consumers, restricting cross-subsidy levies by states on industries within the specified limits and reducing hydro power tariff by excluding cost of enabling infrastructure like roads and bridges from costs were on agenda.

Besides, review of the Centre’s Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana, expediting implementation of smart meters and differential tariff for peak and non-peak hours, promoting electric vehicles and ensuring compliance to renewable purchase obligations were some of the other points proposed for discussion.