Author: Niranjan Sahoo
Publisher: Pentagon Press
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 60
ISBN/UPC (if available): 818274301X
Description
Economic reforms introduced in the early 1990s in India to overcome a serious fiscal crisis brought about sweeping changes in a number of critical areas; telecom, banking, financial and capital markets, foreign trade etc. In this early reform scheme, the power sector was chosen as one of the key entities for showcasing the initiation of the new economic reforms process.
Departing from a system of complete state monopoly, the sector was shifted into two different gears - privitisation through independent power producers and fast truck projects, restructuring of organisational set up of SEBs, private public participation and so on.
Contents
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
GENSESIS OF A STATE CONTROLLED POWER SECTOR
State capture of power sector: broad context
Beginning of the politics of ‘Free power’
Farmer’s Movement and the politics of
Power subsidy
SEBs as ‘Holy Cow’ of power politics
Implications of state capture of power sector
THE NEW ECONOMY POLICIES AND POWER SECTOR REFORMS
The early reform flings
The first salvo: The IIP paradigm
An appraisal of the IIP Model
Role of incentives and interests
State driven reform process
Orissa leads the way
Scaling up the Orissa Model
Consolidation of State-level reforms:
Centre leading the way
Selling reform to Chief Ministers
Central Electricity Act
Other important Milestones
THE REFORMS SO FAR: A BALANCE SHEET
WHY POWER REFORM IS A DAUNTING TASK
Reforms and political commitment
Reforms and democratic compulsions
Rents, corruption and election funds
Politics of subsidy
The Bureaucracy and vested interest groups
Center’s diminishing leverage
Crisis of Credibility
PROSPECT FOR REFORMS
Notes
References