Put Electricity Act amendments on hold: Tamil Nadu tells Centre

The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prevail up on the power ministry to put the proposed amendments to the Electricity Act in abeyance till all the aspects are thoroughly discussed with the state governments after the Covid-19 pandemic comes under control.

In a letter to the PM, Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy said any hasty amendments to the Electricity Act might create hardship to state power utilities, which are going through a severe financial crisis because of the present pandemic. As some of the provisions of the draft amendment bill are also likely to create hardships for the general public, particularly during this crisis period, the CM pointed out this may not be an appropriate time to bring in such sweeping amendments to the Electricity Act.