Industrial demand for power rises, but discoms continue to struggle

The aim of the power sector in 2018 was electrification of all villages in the country. And, 19,000 villages were electrified in a record two years in the last stage. Saubhagya, the ambitious project of electrifying 23 million houses, has completed 99 per cent of its target. But the problems of power distribution companies continue. 

The Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses — an indicator of operational performance – of many large states remains high, and way behind the target of 15 per cent. With industrial demand for power improving, connecting more households will only increase demand further. So, coal supply has to improve to meet the demand.