New Delhi: A regional conference for Northern Region States and Union Territories was held on Friday in Chandigarh under the chairmanship of Union Minister for Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal. The high-level meeting brought together Power and Energy Ministers from Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, and Rajasthan, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Power, CMDs of central and state power utilities, and state-level secretaries.
Addressing the conference, the Minister mentioned that India’s power system has evolved into a unified national grid, fulfilling the vision of ‘One Nation-One Grid’ and underlined the importance of a future-ready, modern, and financially viable power sector to fuel the country's growth. He highlighted that we successfully met a peak demand of 250 GW in May 2024 and India has transformed from power-deficit to a power-sufficient nation and as on today, peak demand shortage is zero. He outlined the importance of continuous cooperation and coordination between Central and the State Governments in achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
The Minister urged states to address challenges in intra-state transmission development, explore financing from multilateral sources, and utilise the Rs 1.5 lakh crore interest-free loan provisioned in Union Budget 2025–26 to strengthen transmission infrastructure. He also stressed the need to promote renewable energy with storage, noting that the share of renewables in installed capacity has risen from 32 percent in 2014 to 49 percent as of April 2025.
Power Minister highlighted pressing issues in the power distribution sector, including high AT&C losses, delayed government dues, and inefficient tariff structures. He called on states to adopt cost-reflective tariffs, expedite smart metering under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme, and complete prepaid smart meter installation in government and high-load consumer segments by November 2025.
Power Secretary of the Government of India also emphasised the need for timely capacity tie-ups, development of transmission infrastructure through models like TBCB and RTM, and stronger cyber security and islanding mechanisms.
The conference concluded with a reaffirmation of Centre-State cooperation for achieving the goal of “Power for All, at All Times” and supporting the national vision of a developed India by 2047.
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