AIPEF urges govt not to rush with Electricity Bill 2014

Power engineers body has urged the government not to rush with Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2014 and asked it to consult all the stakeholders as it has important implications on consumers and the power industry.
A delegation of the Federation led by Chairman All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) Shailendra Dubey met the Home Minister Rajnath Singh and asked the government to reconsider the bill, AIPEF said in a statement.
"The Federation informed Home Minister that the amendment bill is of national importance and the Centre instead of taking unilateral decision in a hurry should consult all the stakeholders as it has important implication for all categories of the power consumer and the power industry," it said.

The Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014 aims to unbundle power distribution and transmission sectors and throw them open to competition. The amendments seek to segregate carriage (distribution network) from content (electricity supply business).
"The Home Minister assured the power engineers that he would speak to the Power Minister Piyush Goyal to hold detailed discussions with the power engineers and other stake holders about the provisions in the amendment bill," the statement said.
The proposed amendments to the existing Act will promote competition, efficiency, and improvement in the supply of electricity in the country, potentially resulting in capacity addition and benefits for consumers.

Earlier, in February, the government had said amendments to the Electricity Act should come into effect by April.
The Cabinet, in December last year, approved various amendments to the existing Electricity Act, 2003, with an objective to enable consumers to choose their electricity supplier among other reforms.