Power sector key to driving India's economic growth: CAG

The power sector is the backbone of India's economy, and a reliable power supply is essential for the country's growth, Comptroller and Auditor General of India K Sanjay Murthy said on Monday. Addressing a national conference on the power sector, Murthy said the expectations from the sector have risen sharply over the years, especially to achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, with energy independence being the central part of the vision. The vision of enhancing per capita electricity consumption from 1,460 kWh at present to 2,000 kWh by 2030 and 4,000 kWh by 2047 and providing reliable 24x7 quality power through a financially viable and environmentally sustainable power sector would require all the constituents of the sector, be it policy making, generation, transmission and distribution, to work together to achieve this Vision, he said. He further added that ''since the last decade, the power sector has achieved a lot as the generation has gone up from 1,168 BU (billion units) in 2015-16 to 1,824 BU in 2025-26. The sources from which this power is being generated have also undergone major change, as the shift to Green Energy has been increasingly gaining focus, which is evident from the rise in its share from 6 per cent to 24 per cent. The conference, attended by top officials from the power sector, including Secretaries from states and the Union government, aimed at discussing best practices and gaining from collective experience to enrich the sector. The conference also discussed initiatives like the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target, India Climate & Energy Dashboard, and the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. The CAG office has initiated a horizontal performance audit of the operational and financial performance of DISCOMS and a performance audit of Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. Strengthening and augmenting transmission capacity in selected states will also be undertaken, the office of CAG said in a statement. Subject-specific compliance audit of battery energy storage system, green energy corridor scheme and market development is also contemplated during the next few years, it added.