Energy security, sectoral reforms, and long-term growth goals for India’s power industry were the main topics of discussion at Friday’s meeting of national power ministers, which was headed by Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, at the Bharat Electricity Summit 2026.
During his address, the minister emphasised the importance of the sector in generating economic growth and infrastructural development, saying that the summit will be a key event in achieving the goals of “Viksit Bharat 2047.”
Along with better performance from distribution companies (Discom), smart meter deployment, and fewer power shortages, he mentioned that India’s installed electricity capacity had surpassed 520 GW. If we want efficient and cheap power generation, transmission, and distribution, Khattar said the federal government and the states must work together more closely.
In light of recent world events, the minister has emphasised the need for increased energy security measures, including higher electricity consumption per capita, faster adoption of renewable energy sources, and the acknowledgement of nuclear power as an important clean energy option.
State Minister Shripad Naik co-chaired the meeting, which was also attended by senior officials such as Secretary (Power) Pankaj Agarwal and Secretary (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) Santosh Kumar Sarangi, as well as energy ministers from the states and union territories.
Nearly half of India’s installed capacity currently originates from non-fossil fuel sources, and Naik also brought attention to the increasing impact of technology and AI on the industry, especially through smart metering programs.
At the meeting, the Ministry of Power presented two important reports for FY25: the Distribution Utilities Ranking (DUR) and the Consumer Service Ratings of Discoms (CSRD). Based on criteria such billing efficiency, grievance redressal, and openness, the CSRD report graded six utilities as A+, twenty-one as A, and twenty-seven as B+.
In order to establish a standard for enhancing efficiency in the power distribution ecosystem, the DUR study evaluated 66 distribution utilities thoroughly, taking into account their financial, operational, and service performance.
