Electricity revenue subsidies finance 10% to 30% of the revenue required by electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs) in India. Consequently, they have significant impacts not only on the state exchequer but also on DISCOM finances.

Switching subsides from kerosene to off-grid solar would benefit the millions of Indian households that suffer frequent blackouts or that cannot afford grid electricity. A range of off-grid solar products is now cheaper than kerosene over the lifespan of the technology.

This issue brief takes a detailed look at why such a large share of coal power is struggling today and the drivers—including subsidies—that may cause similar crises to rear their heads in future.

Researchers and policymakers have long understood the benefits of crop insurance but have been consistently disappointed by the poor performance of these programs.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) has increased the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation by almost 6 per cent and reduced the cost of coal thermal power generation by 1.6 per cent. The absolute size of the subsidy to coal power generation remains INR 7,685 crore (USD 1.1 billion) higher than for solar PV in 2018.