In the conference of Electricity Ministers of various states of the country, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Dr Raman Singh said on Tuesday that treating electricity as concurrent subject and not as a union subject would help in the growth of power sector, which has been plagued by uncertainty, policy paralysis and indifferent attitude. He said power sector could only be revived by empowering states and providing flexibility to them in policymaking. Principal Secretary (Power) Aman Singh read Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh’s speech at the 8th Power Ministers Conference held today at New Delhi. In his speech, Chief Minister stated that a framework should be evolved to foster inter-state cooperation and coordination, apart from cooperation between the Centre and respective state governments. He added that the Centre should also focus on bringing reforms in distribution and improving financial and commercial viability of the Discoms.He suggested that that the Centre should consider channelising support and subsidies to financial institutions like REC and PFC as it will help in reducing cost of borrowings for states.
He stated that growth and development of agricultural sector could be ensured by recognizing electricity as a key input to the sector. He added that farmers in Chhattisgarh have been getting free-of-cost power supply up to 7500 unit per year and assistance in getting power connection for irrigation pumps by state government.
