‘Power for all' goal presents test for Modi

摘要

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's vow to ensure "power for all" presents a major challenge for the last two years of his term in office. The BJP government's Electricity for All policy requires an increase in generation capacity, as well as the electrification of rural areas and improvements to distribution by 2019. More than 300mn Indian citizens have no access to electricity, primarily among the two-thirds of the population that lives rurally. Power supply in the south and west of the country is now in surplus. But chronic deficits - equivalent to 8-10pc of base-load demand - persist in the east and northeast. Better access to energy will be essential if India is to maintain economic growth at recent levels of around 7pc/yr.