Don't change electricity law: KCR to Centre

Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has appealed to the Centre to withdraw the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022, saying it had serious ramifications for the poor and farmers. He alleged the bill was a ploy to harass states. The Centre must allow public sector power utilities to function, he said.

The TRS government will introduce a resolution against the power bill in the state assembly on Tuesday since the Centre introduced the bill with some changes for the second time. The assembly had adopted a resolution against it in September 2020. Rao said the bill had provisions against interests of farmers and specifically those benefitting from subsidised power such as Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities, barbers, washermen and weavers.

TRS insiders said prepaid smart energy meters for every power connection would be compulsory under the new law.