Hyderabad: India has achieved the 26th rank this year in “getting electricity“ in a listing of nations in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business. In 2015, India was at rank 99. The two-year period was one of major improvements, as a result of the reforms and initiatives taken by the Centre.
The Union power ministry noted that the ranking was done based on 10 parameters. Getting electricity was the one of these parameters. Some of the parameters were: the number of procedures involved in getting electricity, the time taken by a consumer for obtaining a commercial electricity connection, the cost of obtaining a commercial electricity connection of up to 140 KVA and reliability of power supply.
The power ministry said the Centre took several initiatives, because of which India’s ranking has improved from 99 in 2015 to 26 in 2017. The reforms included regulatory easing as well as administrative measures. The regulatory reforms of CEA include an amendment of the regulations for allowing installation of transformers up to 500 KVA on double-pole structure and issue of notification to waive electrical inspector’s approval for 11 KV installations.
carried out by DISCOMs and allowing self-certification by DISCOM engineers in such cases.
CEA has changed the supply code in Delhi to facilitate a reduction in cost and time for new connections and also changed the tariff regulation in Delhi to allow LT connection of upto 150KV and rationalised LT tariff for taking LT connection up to 150 KVA.
On administrative easing measures, Tata Power in Delhi and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) in Mumbai have provided online portals to enable consumers apply for their connections. Both have reduced the procedures for release of new connections following online submission of applications to the utility and conduct of site inspection, as also demand note generation (if required), while the utility does external connections and installs meter.
The Union power ministry said that as per the existing regulations in Delhi and Mumbai, commercial consumers upto 150KVA are allowed to take electricity connection under LT category and the cost for providing new connections are Rs 46,500 in Delhi, at the rate of Rs 310 per KVA for 150 KVA load, and Rs 60,000 in Mumbai for a 150 KVA load.
