[Marxistindia] Withdraw This Retrograde, Anti-People “Electricity Amendment Bill, 2020”

[news from the cpi(m)]

May 11, 2020

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued  
the following statement:


Withdraw This Retrograde, Anti-People
“Electricity Amendment Bill, 2020”


The CPI(M) opposes the proposed “Electricity Amendment Bill, 2020”  
which is designed for the complete privatisation of the power sector.

This is a proposal for complete centralization of authority, a frontal  
attack on the federal principle of our Constitution. Electricity is in  
the concurrent list of our Constitution. The States therefore have an  
equal responsibility and role in generation, distribution, regulation  
and to decide on the charges that will be levied from the people  
depending on their economic status and occupation. This right of the  
states is totally negated by this proposal.

The states will be completely out of the purview in the determination  
of power purchase and sale agreements and the award of contracts. The  
work schedule and dispatching of power of the state and regional  
dispatching centres will now be under the central authority adversely  
affecting the state electricity generation corporations. The state  
distribution companies will become redundant and the work will be done  
through private contractors.

The determination of tariff to be paid by “all” does away with the  
principle of cross subsidy whereby the rich and the wealthy pay a  
higher rate while the poor and the needy pay less.

Currently, farmers in many states get free power for agricultural  
operations. MSMEs and smaller industrial units also get concessions.  
All this will go. This means the agrarian distress will further deepen  
and the informal sector employing the largest number of people will be  
rendered unviable.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands that this retrograde proposal  
is immediately withdrawn. At a time when the Indian economy is in a  
tailspin and the country is fighting the Covid pandemic, such  
proposals that will favour the wealthy while burdening the needy are  
totally unacceptable.


For CPI(M) Central Committee Office