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India's Power Push: 520 GW Milestone, Reforms & Viksit Bharat Vision

A national power ministerial meeting chaired by Union Power Minister Manohar Lal focused on energy security, sector reforms, and growth strategies aligned with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. The minister highlighted India's achievement of crossing 520 GW in installed power capacity and improvements in Discom performance and smart meter deployment. The meeting, also co-chaired by MoS Shripad Naik, stressed the need for Centre-state coordination and a faster shift to renewables and nuclear power. Two key reports—the Consumer Service Ratings of Discoms and the Distribution Utilities Ranking—were released to evaluate utility performance.

Key Points: India's Power Sector Reforms & 520 GW Capacity for Viksit Bharat

  • India crosses 520 GW installed power capacity
  • Focus on Discom reforms & smart meter deployment
  • Push for renewable & nuclear energy shift
  • New consumer service & utility rankings released
2 min read

Govt discusses energy security and power reforms in ministerial meet

Union Power Minister chairs meeting on energy security, Discom reforms, and renewable shift. India crosses 520 GW installed capacity.

"The summit would play a key role in achieving the vision of 'Viksit Bharat 2047' - Union Power Minister Manohar Lal"

New Delhi, March 20

As the Bharat Electricity Summit 2026 entered its 2nd day on Friday, a national power ministerial meeting, chaired by Union Power Minister Manohar Lal, was held to deliberate on energy security, sector reforms and future growth strategies.

Addressing the conference, the minister said the summit would play a key role in achieving the vision of "Viksit Bharat 2047", highlighting the importance of the power sector in driving economic growth and infrastructure development.

He also noted that India has crossed 520 GW of installed power capacity, alongside improvements in distribution company (Discom) performance, smart meter deployment and reduced power shortages.

He called for closer coordination between the Centre and states to ensure affordable and efficient power generation, transmission and distribution.

Stressing energy security amid global uncertainties, the minister underscored the need to boost per capita consumption and accelerate the shift towards renewable energy, while also highlighting the role of nuclear power as a clean energy source.

The meeting was co-chaired by Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy Shripad Naik and attended by senior officials, including Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal, MNRE Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi, and Energy Ministers from various states and Union Territories.

Naik said the role of technology and artificial intelligence in transforming the sector, citing smart metering as a key reform. He noted that nearly half of India's installed capacity now comes from non-fossil fuel sources and pointed to the draft National Electricity Policy as a roadmap for long-term growth.

During the meeting, the Ministry of Power released two key reports for FY25 -- the Consumer Service Ratings of Discoms (CSRD) and the Distribution Utilities Ranking (DUR).

The CSRD report evaluates utilities on consumer service parameters such as billing, grievance redressal and transparency, with 6 Discoms rated A+, 21 rated A and 27 rated B+, according to the government.

The DUR report provides a comprehensive assessment of distribution utilities based on financial, operational and service performance, with 66 utilities participating in the latest exercise.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Finally some transparency with the Discom ratings! Consumers deserve to know which utilities are performing. The A+ rating for 6 Discoms is encouraging. Hope this pushes the lower-ranked ones to improve their grievance redressal systems. 👏
R
Rohit P
Half our power from non-fossil fuels? That's a solid step for a country our size. The push for nuclear as clean energy is the right long-term bet. Energy security is national security, especially with global tensions. More focus on domestic solar panel manufacturing please!
S
Sarah B
As someone who recently moved to Bengaluru, the power cuts during summer are still a reality. Reports and summits are good, but the proof will be in the pudding—or rather, in the uninterrupted supply to my apartment. Hope the AI and tech focus translates to fewer outages.
V
Vikram M
Coordination between Centre and states is the key. In our federal structure, one-size-fits-all policies don't work. States with better resources can move faster on renewables. The draft National Electricity Policy must account for these disparities. A good start, though.
K
Kavya N
Affordable power is crucial for small businesses. The monthly bill is a major overhead. If smart meters and Discom reforms can make tariffs more rational and reduce losses, it will boost the economy massively. Fingers crossed! 🤞
M

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