The power paradox

States' electricity policies are unsustainable

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent campaign against the freebie distribution culture in electoral politics found its strongest articulation on Saturday at the launch of the Rs 3-trillion Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme. Alluding to Rs 2.5 trillion worth of states’ dues to power generation (gencos) and distribution companies (discoms), Mr Modi said clearing these bills was not a case of rajniti (politics) but rashtra-niti (nation building). The PM’s statement is an unwitting acknowledgement of the fact that the power sector has remained one of India’s most distressed areas mainly on account of the states’ long-standing, unsustainable policies to distribute power either