National
State Power Minsters resolve to cut cross subsidies
New Delhi, Dec 8 (IANS) State Power Minsters have resolved to prepare a plan to reduce cross-subsidies by March 2018 as per the guidelines in the tariff policy, which would reduce the power rates for commercial and industrial consumers, an official said on Friday.
The resolution to adopt an action plan to realise the changes made last year to the Electricity Act providing for a lower cross subsidy level of 20 per cent was one among other reforms agreed on at the states’ Power Ministers meeting here with Union Power Minister R.K. Singh on Thursday.
Cross subsidy, which currently can be as high as 200 per cent in some cases, is the mechanism by which industrial and commercial consumers pay higher tariffs that subsidise the lower charges paid by domestic, agricultural and other users.
“States resolve to prepare roadmap for reduction of cross subsidies as per Tariff Policy by March 2018 and bring in tariff reforms by simplification of consumer tariff categories and rationalization of electricity tariff,” the resolution adopted by the ministers said, according to a Power Ministry release here.
Briefing reporters during a break in the meeting, the Union Power Minister advocated standardising electricity tariffs across the country and said the states have agreed to reduce the number of slabs for selling power.
He had said cross subsidies in the tariff policy will be phased out to bring it down to 20 per cent in the first phase, adding that power must be made available to industry at a reasonable cost to ensure the success of the ‘Make in India’ programme.
Singh said that changes were being proposed to the Act to remove human interface in billing, metering and collections by introducing prepaid systems that would help poor consumers and smart metering, as well as cap the permissible limit for factoring in discom losses in the tariff policy, by mandating that discoms cannot pass on the billing losses to consumers.
Inaugurating the conference, Singh said that in many states, around 45-55 per cent of the power supplied by distribution companies (discoms) was not billed, and the Centre would soon be making prepaid usage and smart metering mandatory to counter losses on this account.
According to the statement, the states also resolved to clear all government dues of discoms for the current year along with 25 per cent of arrears so that all previous dues are paid off by March 2019.
Noting that around Rs 85,000 crore had been spent on the renewal of distribution infrastructure in the country, Singh also said that, despite the Centre’s Uday debt restructing scheme, the state discoms’ viability would return to very poor unless they remedied their billing losses.
The power sector accounts for a major chunk of the non-performing assets, or bad loans, in the Indian banking system that have crossed a staggering Rs 8 lakh crore.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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