Clear power dues, PM Modi tells states

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked the state governments to resolve the payment crisis that undermines the financial and operational viability of the power sector entities by clearing subsidies to distribution utilities (discoms) in time and ensuring that government departments and local bodies pay their power bills before the due dates.

Stating that unpaid dues to power sector entities — gencos and discoms — stood at a staggering Rs 2.5 trillion, he said states’ subsidy dues to discoms alone were over Rs 75,000 crore at last count. About Rs 60,000 crore is required to be paid by state government departments and local bodies to discoms for the electricity consumed by them.