The Hindu : National : Manmohan convenes Planning Commission meet

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Manmohan convenes Planning Commission meet

Sujay Mehdudia

It will discuss energy policy and take stock of the nuclear programme

NEW DELHI: Seeking to push ahead with power reforms and attracting large private investment, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has convened a meeting of all members of the Planning Commission on Saturday to discuss the integrated energy policy and take stock of the country’s nuclear energy programme.

The meeting of the full plan panel on energy assumes significance as it comes just before Dr. Singh embarks on a visit to the United States where he is scheduled to meet President George Bush and also attend the meeting of the 63rd session of United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Crucial issues

The meeting would take up crucial issues relating to the power sector, including open access that Prime Minister has been talking for a long time, focus on reforms in the distribution sector and review of the capacity addition programme for the 11th Plan.

It will also discuss options for augmenting power supply, including a review of the present power generation situation of the nuclear plants and how atomic power could be augmented with resumption of fuel supply to the present stations that were working at 41 per cent efficiency levels.

The meeting would be attended among others by the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

The other part-time members of the Commission include Human Resource Minister Arjun Singh and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad.

Dr. Singh has been stressing on the need for a wide range of power sector reforms, including open access and competition.

He has suggested that inter-state transmission needs to be truly opened up to competition and a separate and independent government entity set up to control the National Load Despatch Centre.

In addition, he had underscored the importance of reducing transmission and distribution losses, launching a crash programme for capacity addition and taking steps to attract private investment.

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