Parliament Question: Collapse of power distribution infrastructure and failure of DISCOM reforms in WB

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF POWER RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4141 ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026 COLLAPSE OF POWER DISTRIBUTION INFRASTRUCTURE AND FAILURE OF DISCOM REFORMS IN WB 4141 SHRI SAMIK BHATTACHARYA: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state: (a) the Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses of West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) compared to the national average during the last five years; (b) whether the State of West Bengal has submitted a viable distribution sector reform plan as required under RDSS; (c) whether outstanding dues from the State of West Bengal DISCOMs to central generating stations and transmission utilities remain unpaid; and (d) the steps taken by the Central Government to ensure that power supply to consumers in the State of West Bengal is not disrupted due to financial mismanagement by the State-owned utility? A N S W E R THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF POWER (SHRI SHRIPAD NAIK) (a) to (d): Electricity being a concurrent subject, supply and distribution of electricity to consumers is within the purview of the respective State Government/Distribution Utility. Government of India (GoI) supplements the efforts of the States/UTs through various measures to improve the operational and financial performance of power distribution utilities. Government of India launched the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in July 2021 with the objective of improving the quality and reliability of power supply to consumers through a financially sustainable and operationally efficient distribution sector. Under RDSS, works amounting to ₹7,116 crore for loss reduction and ₹12,623 crore for smart metering have been sanctioned for the State, based on the proposal and action plan for the distribution utilities, submitted by the State as per the scheme guidelines. The Action plan includes predefined trajectories for achievement of various financial and operational parameters including Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses and the gap between Average Cost of Supply and Average Revenue Realized. The release of funds under the scheme is linked to States/Distribution utilities taking necessary measures to improve their performance. Further, under the scheme, sanctioned works include replacement of old conductors, and upgradation/augmentation of Distribution Transformers (DTs), upgradation of substations, installation of new DTs, creation of new substations, feeder segregation etc. The execution of these works would help improve the quality of power supply.As a result of various reform measures undertaken, AT&C losses have improved from 21.34% in FY2021 to 17.17% in FY2025 in West Bengal. The Aggregate Technical & Commercial (AT&C) losses of WBSEDCL during the last five years vis-a-vis the national average are as under: AT&C Loss FY 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 National Average 21.9% 16.2% 15.3% 16.12% 15.04% WBSEDCL 21.34% 16.67% 17.43% 17.13% 17.17% As per the Praapti Portal, there are no pending outstanding dues payable to Central Generating Stations and Transmission Utilities as on 18.03.2026. ************