Written by Raakhi JaggaLudhiana | November 12, 2025 07:24 PM IST 3 min readAjaypal Singh Atwal, general secretary of the Punjab State Electricity Board Engineers’ Association (PSEBEA), said his association had sent detailed objections to Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. (File image)Amid opposition from power-sector employees, farmers, and activists, the Union Ministry of Power has extended the deadline for feedback on the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025 till November 30. The draft, circulated among states on October 9, had initially sought comments within 30 days—by November 8.The ministry, in a communication sent to state governments, said the extension was granted following requests from several stakeholders seeking more time to study the provisions of the proposed amendments.The decision has revived calls in Punjab for the Government to take a clear stand on the issue. “We hope the Punjab Government will now call a special Vidhan Sabha session to pass a resolution against this Bill. Farmer unions, employee bodies, and activists have already submitted their objections to the Centre with copies sent to the chief minister,” said Jagmohan Singh Patiala, state general secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Dakaunda).Ajaypal Singh Atwal, general secretary of the Punjab State Electricity Board Engineers’ Association (PSEBEA), said his association had sent detailed objections to Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. “But the Punjab Government must also send its official representation. It is important for the state to clarify its position on the draft Bill,” he said.In its letter to the ministry, the PSEBEA warned that the proposed amendments could dismantle India’s publicly built electricity framework, hand over profitable segments to private companies, weaken states’ powers, and threaten the livelihoods of thousands of power-sector employees. The association pointed out that similar attempts to amend the Electricity Act were made in 2014, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022—all of which met with strong resistance from employees, farmers, and consumers.Quoting from the Central Government’s explanatory note, the engineers’ body highlighted that despite 22 years of reforms under the Electricity Act 2003, the sector’s financial health had deteriorated, with cumulative distribution losses ballooning from Rs 26,000 crore to Rs 6.9 lakh crore. “Pushing further reforms without meaningful stakeholder consultation will be the last nail in the coffin of India’s public power sector,” the association cautioned.The PSEBEA alleged that the draft Bill allowed “backdoor privatisation” by enabling multiple distribution licensees in the same area under section 14, which would permit private firms to use public networks to target high-paying industrial and commercial consumers while leaving state distribution companies to serve low-revenue domestic and rural users.The All India Power Engineers Federation, an umbrella body representing engineers nationwide, has also written to the ministry demanding that the draft amendments be withdrawn altogether.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd