Six States Agreed To Discom Privatisation Proposal: AIPEF

Chennai: A meeting of the power ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan held on October 10 had agreed to the Centre’s proposal to hand over DISCOMS across the country to private entities for financial assistance from the Centre, said AIPEF. Public sector electricity employees will form a united front with organizations of farmers and common consumers to launch a nationwide movement against privatisation of discoms and the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025.

According to the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF), the meeting of the power ministers of the six states agreed to provide three options to the DISCOMS for getting financial assistance from the Centre. The first option is to privatize the distribution corporations by selling 51 per cent equity; the second is to sell at least 26 per cent equity to the private sector and accept private sector management; and the third is to list the electricity distribution corporations on the stock exchange.

Protesting against the attempt to hand over DISCOMS to private entities in the name of financial assistance from the Centre, the employees will hold a massive rally in Delhi on January 30 and prior to that conferences of electricity workers, farmers, and consumers will be organized in all provinces of the country between November 15 to January 25, National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) held in Mumbai said. It has demanded the Centre to immediately withdraw the anti-farmer, anti-consumer, and anti-employee Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025.

The first meeting of the united front of electricity employees, farmers and consumers, will be held in Delhi on December 14. This will be attended by leaders of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and All India Trade Unions.