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Centre agrees to form standing committees for SERC
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SME Times News Bureau | 29 Jun, 2020
As part of big ticket reforms in the power sector, the government has
proposed to fast track appointment of power sector regulators both at
central and state levels by forming permanent standing selection
committees presided by Chief Justice of High Court of the state that
would oversee and clear all appointments based on merit.
The
proposal is expected to remove delays in appointments of power sector
regulators. Such delays are disastrous for the functioning of the power
sector as the absence of regulators results in power tariff not being
revised for years resulting in financial stress for discoms and the
states.
Officials in power ministry said that to prevent such a
situation, it had now been proposed that a standing selection committee
would be set up in each state exclusively for appointment that would be
headed by Chief Justice of High Court while having equal members from
both Centre and state. Selection of members and chairperson of State
Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERCs) would be done by a panel
formed by the state government while selections for Central Electricity
Regulatory Commission (CERC) would continue to be carried out by the
Centre.
Power and Renewable Energy Minister R.K. Singh had
earlier proposed single Standing selection committee presided by sitting
Supreme Court judge and members from both centre and states to do
appointment for both SERCs and CERC. This was also proposed in the Draft
Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020. But with several states not
comfortable with the idea of having a central structure for such
appointments, Singh has agreed to include provision for standing
committee in each state for appointments in the draft bill before it is
placed for cabinet approval.
The reform initiative is being taken
as in the current structure for every appointment of regulators at
central and state level, a fresh committee has to be set up and this
took time. In some cases the time taken for appointment was up to 2
years leading to disruption of work of the Regulatory Commission.
Regulatory
Commissions are the fulcrum around which the Power sector revolves.
Delays were deleterious for the various stakeholders such as consumers,
Discoms, and generators etc.
Last week Singh had said that a
canard is being spread that government is shifting the power of
appointment to SERCs from State to Central Government through amendment
in the Electricity Act. This, he had said, was false as Centre respects
the authority of states and just proposes to fast track appointments
without invading into state's jurisdiction.
The Electricity
Amendment Bill is currently being vetted by the Law Ministry. Power
Ministry wants to introduce it in the coming monsoon session of
Parliament.
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