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Journalism of Courage
In keeping with the Left parties’ demand for a review of the Electricity Act, 2003, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday directed the power ministry to consult them and state governments before bringing the matter to the Cabinet.
Singh, who held a meeting with power minister P.M. Sayeed, deputy chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia and other senior officials, asked the ministry to have a final consultation with Left parties and some state governments.
The Prime Minister also instructed that priority has to be given to the rural electrification as outlined in the CMP.
Left parties have been opposing the Act, which was passed by the previous NDA government, saying it was pro-privatisation and will encourage regional disparities as the private parties would go only in the lucrative areas.
Sayeed said leaders from Left parties, including A.B. Bardhan of CPI and Basudeb Acharya of CPM, will be meeting him on December 21. He said the Centre had given an extension to 13 states to reorganise their state electricity boards.
