Power distribution, the end of the electricity value chain that involves selling to customers, has been the most problematic element of the sector. Predicated on the political compulsions of selling power below cost to large swathes of rural consumers, power distribution has been the root cause of the losses right from generation and sometimes even from the source of the fuel supply. Reform attempts by successive governments — including the current government’s UDAY scheme that ends in March 2020 — have brought no fundamental change. Even so, there are signs of a realignment led by private sector players in areas