AIKS opposes Draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill; says will lead to privatisation of power system

New Delhi, Oct 15 (PTI) The All India Kisan Sabha on Tuesday opposed the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, terming it "anti-farmer" while contending that it would lead to "massive privatisation and centralisation of the Indian power system".

The Ministry of Power has released the draft of the bill and has sought public comments within 30 days.

In a statement issued here, the CPI(M)-affiliated farmers' organisation claimed the draft bill violates federal principles while pointing out that the repeal of the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2021, was one of the major demands raised during the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM)-led protest in Delhi a few years ago.

"The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) is of the firm opinion that the Draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, presented by the RSS-BJP-led NDA government is inherently anti-farmer," it said in a statement.

The farmers' organisation claimed the Bill will lead to the dismantling of "socially driven electricity framework and will result in massive privatisation and centralisation of the Indian power system, thus violating federal principles enshrined in the Constitution".  "Once implemented, farmers as well as all sections of the working people will be squeezed and looted," the AIKS said.  It also alleged that the proposal to eliminate cross-subsidy in the new bill will have disastrous consequences for the farmers.

"Take the case of a farmer using a 7.5-horsepower motor for six hours daily. This would consume 35 units of electricity. In a month, it would be 1,050 units.

"Currently, in most agrarian states, farmers are getting electricity at a subsidised rate of Rs 2-3 per unit. The electricity cost of the farmer varies from Rs 2,100 to Rs 3,150," AIKS pointed out.

It claimed that once the cross-subsidy is eliminated, it is estimated that there will be a three to four times increase in tariff, which translates to farmers having to pay more than Rs 10,000 for electricity in a month.

AIKS demanded the withdrawal of the Bill, and called upon farmers to initiate a united struggle along with the electricity workers and other electricity consumers against the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025. PTI AO AO NSD NSD