Electricity (Amendment) Bill may be tabled in monsoon session

The Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014, which aims to unbundle power distribution and transmission sectors and throw them open to competition, is likely to be tabled in Parliament in monsoon session, Power Minister Piyush Goyal said today.
The amendments seek to segregate carriage (distribution network) from content (electricity supply business).
"Now, it looks that Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014, will come up in the monsoon session as the Budget session is likely to resume next week and the priority is to clear the Finance Bill," he said here.
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 minister 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.
The central government has also said wherever there are existing power purchase agreements, the interests of stakeholders will be protected, which will be done in consultation with the power regulator.
The government plans to allow competition at the last mile or for the end-consumer without raising tariff or compromising on better customer service.