Planning Commission urges states to hike power tariff

18 Jul 2012 Evaluate

In a meeting to discuss the strategy to deal with various issues of energy sector in the country in the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17), Planning Commission urged States to increase electricity charges to instead use power subsidy to improve essential services like drinking water, education and health, essential for promoting inclusive growth.

Acknowledging that high growth is unattainable without addressing the issues of power sector, Plan panel deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, while addressing the conference of states' power ministers, said, that the current situation could be handled through some combination of tariff increase and serious efforts to reduce Aggregate Technical and Commercial Losses (AT & C Losses), which is nothing but the sum total of technical loss, commercial losses and shortage due to non-realization of total billed amount.

Seconding Power Ministry's proposal to restructure power distributions companies’ debt to the extent of Rs 200,000 lakh crore, Ahluwalia said the states should increase the electricity tariff to reduce these firms deficit. Only rationalization of tariff, the Commission urged, could ensure sustainable growth of the ailing power sector. Though, he also warned States failing to raise power charges to be prepared for making steep adjustments, while stating that Centre would soon come out with a scheme to link central support to states with rationalization of power tariff.

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