In contemporary parlance, SEBs remain deeply subprime. Several initiatives in the power sector are supposedly on the anvil. First, a Rs 100,000 crore National Electricity Fund (NEF) has been reportedly proposed by a committee. Ostensibly the objective is to provide loans to those state electricity boards and, presumably, their successor unbundled entities comprising transmission and distribution companies that cannot otherwise borrow from normal channels, like banks. The money will be borrowed for the benefit of state electricity boards (SEBs) by government-owned specialised financial intermediaries, specifically, Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) with the help of fiscal sops and concessions (and implicitly government backing given the origins of these entities). Second, the possible extension of the tax holiday for new power projects (including mega ones) from 2010 to 2017 since projects that have been awarded recently are unlikely to begin operations on time to benefit within the current deadline. Third, a revamped Accelerated Power Development and Reform Programme (APDRP) to induce reduction in aggregate technical and commercial (ATC) losses may be introduced, whereby states are financially rewarded if losses decline to a target level, say, 15 per cent. The serious "new' money is the NEF, if it comes about. The proposed initiatives are hardly original, they are devoid of conviction (since we are close to elections), and they are largely an admission of failure. Since the beginning of the decade, this will be the second instance of a major central government financial intervention in the electricity sector. It may be recalled that in 2001, unpaid dues (including interest and penalties) of SEBs to central public sector units (CPSUs) and Indian Railways had reached Rs 41,500 crore (about 2 per cent of 2000/01 GDP); the sector was on the verge of a default crisis, which would have taken CPSUs down, financially. The way out, in a manner of speaking, entailed securitising Rs 35,000 crore through bonds

The State will get 122 MW of power from a mega power project at Tuticorin at Rs.2.92 a unit, Electricity Minister A.K. Balan has said.

Zira (Ferozepur), February 17 In what could show light at the end of the tunnel to power-starved Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), which spends more than about Rs 2 crore daily to bridge the demand and supply gap of electricity in the state, a village in Ferozepur district is fast on its way to become the first village of the state, and perhaps of the country, to earn the distinction of a power theft-free village. Notably, besides the unavoidable transmission and distribution losses, power thefts give a tough time to PSEB in terms of losses.

The Centre has a plan to provide electricity on demand by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan, Union Minister for Power Sushilkumar Shinde said today. "However, we have targeted to produce 80,000 Mw in the 11th Five Year Plan, for which Rs 28,000 crore has been earmarked under the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme (RGRES) compared to Rs 5,000 crore allocated in the last Plan, Shinde told at the concluding session of the two-day 85th Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) here, The 80,000-Mw power production included a 4,000-Mw ultra mega project, he said.

The supply of power is highly erratic in India. Even in a state like Maharashtra that claims to be one of the most progressive states, electricity supply is inconsistent. The Union government has promised to supply electricity to all the villages in India by 2012. Will the government be able to keep up its promise, is a moot point.

The power situation in the Indian cities is extremely distressing Brace yourself to sweat it out in the torrid summer in the coming weeks on account of load shedding, as states are switching off power supply to overcome the shortage of power. And Delhiites are already staying sleepless at nights because of the irritating noise of generators.

The land of battles has another battle up its sleeve now. So far, it has been unable to attract too many investments and is lagging behind in key development indices. However, all that is set to change now with the state Government finally taking some innovative measures.

"Madhya Pradesh is fast moving away from its 'rich state inhabited by poor people' image, and bring about changes in the industry, infrastructure and social welfare to help improve the living standards of the people and pull itself out of the red".