By Jag Mohan Thaken
CHANDIGARH: Voices of protest against the India Government’s Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025 have begun to emerge en masse stating it as anti-farmer, anti-consumer, and anti-employee. The power employees, engineers, farmers and consumers have started to come on the same page to oppose it.
In a meeting of the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) held in Mumbai on November 3, it has been decided that 2.7 million power employees and engineers across the country will be forced to launch a nationwide movement against the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the privatization of the power sector, if the Government of India fails to listen to their voice.
Acting on the strategy prepared for the nationwide agitation against the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025, a united front with the leaders of the electricity employees, Samyukta Kisan Morcha, All India Trade Unions and common consumers will be formed.
State-level joint conventions of NCCOEEE will be held in November, December, and January in all states to mobilize employees and engineers against privatization and the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025, and a call will be given for “Delhi Chalo” on 30 January 2026.
Taking a lead, complying with the decisions of the National committee, All Haryana Power Corporations Workers Union organised a state-level convention on 5th November in Rohtak against the Electricity (Amendment) Bill and accusing the power corporation management of ignoring the demands of the employees and promoting privatization, announced to protest at the Panchkula headquarters of ACS Power on November 26.
Now the questions arise-Why the NCCOEEE is opposing the bill? How will this bill affect the present scenario?
Explaining the ill effects, in a statement issued by Sudip Dutta, convenor on November 4, quoted that the NCCOEEE leaders have shown their concern that through the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Central Government wants to privatize the entire energy sector of the country. After privatization, electricity rates will become so high that they will be beyond the reach of farmers and common consumers.
In the press conference attended by leaders of NCCOEEE – Shailendra Dubey, Mohan Sharma, Convenor Sudip Dutta, Krishna Bhoyar, Ratnakar Rao, Sanjay Thakur, Laxman Rathod it was explained how the bill has negative impact.
“Through Sections 14, 42, and 43 of the Amendment Bill, private companies are being given the right to use the network of government electricity distribution companies to supply power, and in return, they will pay only nominal wheeling charges to the government DISCOMs. This will mark the beginning of the end of electricity distribution in the government sector” fears NCCOEEE.
Committee further explained that the entire responsibility for the maintenance and strengthening of the network will lie with the government distribution companies. The financial burden of this will fall on the government electricity distribution corporations, while private companies will be given the freedom to earn money through this network.
Under this Amendment Bill, private companies will not have the obligation of uninterrupted power supply. The adverse consequence will be that private companies will use the government company’s network to supply electricity to profitable industrial and commercial consumers, while the responsibility of supplying power to farmers and poor domestic consumers will remain with the government electricity distribution corporations. As a result, government electricity distribution companies will become bankrupt and will not even have money to purchase electricity or pay salaries to their employees.
NCCOEEE stated that the Amendment Bill proposes to amend Section 61(g) to eliminate cross-subsidy within the next five years. Along with this, the Bill provides that electricity tariffs should be cost-reflective, meaning no consumer should be supplied electricity at a price lower than the cost. This means that farmers will have to pay at least Rs. 12,000 per month as an electricity bill for a 6.5 horsepower pump if it runs for six hours a day. Similarly, electricity rates for consumers below the poverty line will become at least Rs. 10–12 per unit. Further, the Bill proposes to promote virtual power markets and market-based trading systems. This will destabilize long-term agreements and make the cost of power more volatile.
Is the bill against the federal structure of the country? NCCOEEE cautions that presently the electricity is listed in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution under the Concurrent List, which means that the central and state governments have equal rights in matters of electricity. But through this Amendment Bill, the Central Government is taking away the rights of the states in electricity matters, and there will be direct intervention by the Central Government in electricity distribution and tariff determination, which is against the federal structure and spirit of the Constitution.
Farmers’ unions have also jumped into the fray. Participating in the convention at Rohtak, Haryana, National Vice President of All India Kisan Sabha, Comrade Inderjeet Singh announced that farmers will also strongly oppose the Electricity Amendment Bill being brought to privatize electricity and the installation of smart meters.
Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Dakonda, Punjab has also come forward to support the agitation against the electricity bill. Angrez Singh Bhadaur, State Press Secretary, informed our representative that in the meeting of the Kisan union, it has been passed that the Electricity Amendment Bill-2025 is being brought by the central government in violation of the promise made to the farmers and this is a ploy to implement privatization in the field of electricity distribution. Therefore, the Electricity Amendment Bill 2025 will be opposed with full force.
Bhadaur further stated that the Samyukta Kisan Morcha is scheduled to march towards Chandigarh on November 26 and a pre-march meeting will be held at Kisan Bhawan, Chandigarh on November 17 to make concrete plans for this march. The main demands of that march will include the demand for cancelling the Electricity Amendment Bill.
The government should not remain so adamant and rigid while deciding such sensitive issues and always keep in mind the 13 months long farmers’ agitation against three black agricultural laws wherein more than 700 farmers lost their lives and ultimately the central government had to repeal those laws. (IPA Service)
