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Rural areas of Jammu & Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh receive less than 15 hours of power supply in a day according to data shared by the Ministry of Power. Mizoram and Haryana come next with less than 16 hours of power supply in rural areas. This information is based on the data collated by the Power Ministry is for April 2019.
With regards to the power supply in urban areas, Manipur has the highest average duration of power cuts for a month at nearly 26 hours per month. With over 17 hours of power cuts in a month, Chhattisgarh and Haryana are the next in the list of “the worst power supply” in urban areas. This is according to the data collated by the Ministry of Power till May 2019.
In response to a query in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, R K Singh said, “Electricity is a concurrent subject and distribution of electricity and management of associated functions is carried out by concerned State Government / Distribution utility. Government of India has taken a joint initiative with all the States/UTs for preparation of State specific plans for providing 24x7 power supply to all households, industrial & commercial consumers and adequate supply of power to agricultural consumers as per State policy.”
The Centre had promised 24x7 power supply for all from April 1, 2019. This could not be achieved due to the poor financial health of the power distribution utilities (DISCOMS). Power Ministry officials say that billing and metering remain a challenge across the country.
The condition is worse in rural areas where DISCOMS do not have enough personnel for metering and bill collection. While those in the urban areas cannot live without electricity, inhabitants in the rural hinterlands still do not find a power cut unusual.
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