Lights out for the power sector? Coronavirus makes a crisis worse

Its pre-pandemic crisis is likely to worsen with the prolonged lockdown unless the government offers some vital concessions

When many Indians switched off their lights and lit lamps at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request on April 5, the Indian power transmission sector was saved from any possible disruption by direct monitoring under Union Power Minister R K Singh. The long struggle to revive the Indian power sector, however, that started under this government through Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) debt restructuring scheme in 2015, is no way near ending.

Unlike steel, cement and even cars, the hope of pent-up demand from consumers does not apply. Units that could not be generated during the lockdown phase represent lost demand,