According to the power ministry, the country’s peak power demand imbalance has decreased by 16.2 percent over the last 13 years, and it has practically been “wiped out.”
According to data from 2007-08, the deficit in 2020-21 was 0.4 percent, compared to 16.6 percent in 2007-08 and 10.6 percent in 2011-12.
The comment came in response to a tweet from the All India Mahila Congress (AIMC), the Congress party’s women’s wing, claiming that India experienced a power supply shortage of 1,201 million units in October, the biggest in five and a half years.
The difference between the country’s peak power and the demand met in a given year is known as the peak power deficit.
In response to the Congress party’s assertions, the power ministry stated that the deficit was practically “wiped away” due to the Centre’s “multi-pronged, comprehensive, and vigorous” interventions.
According to the electricity ministry, the peak power deficits were 0.4 percent in 2020-21, 0.7 percent in 2019-20, and 0.8 percent in 2018-19.
The country’s installed electricity capacity has been increased by 1,55,377MW in the last nearly seven years, according to the report.
“From January through October of this year (2021-22), peak power demand was minus 1.2 percent, with the marginal surge owing to annual post-monsoon strain on power generation. This is also expected to normalise by the end of the year, according to the ministry.
According to government figures, India experienced a 16.6% power deficit in 2007-08 and a 10.6% deficit in 2011-12.
“Schemes introduced by the current government to address the unfortunate situation have enabled this shift from an acutely power deficit country to a position where demand is satisfied, except for an extremely marginal shortfall of less than 1%,” the power ministry said.
“The schemes include the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), which was launched in July 2015 to promote rural infrastructure, and the Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), which was launched in November 2014 to address power infrastructure gaps in urban areas,” according to the report.
The Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (Saubhagya) plan, which was launched in September 2017, sought to bring electricity to every household, according to the power ministry, with 2.8 crore families receiving power connections.
