Power sector flayed the Union Budget 2024-25, tabled in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, saying it has nothing for the expansion of the power industry, generation, transmission and power distribution.

The All-India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) said the budget was extremely disappointing and there was nothing in it for the energy sector, especially the transmission sector and power distribution companies of the states.

AIPEF chairman Shailendra Dube said that the employees were hopeful that there would be talks of restoration of old pension, 8th Pay Commission, dearness allowance of 18 months confiscated during the Covid period, filling of lakhs of vacant posts in the Central government, and regularisation of outsourced employees in power sector, but the lack of it disappointed them. “No relief has been given in the old system in income tax and the standard deduction has also not been increased in the old system. In the new system, the profit is only Rs 17,500 per year, which is meagre,” he noted.

He said that there was nothing encouraging in the budget even for the power sector. “There is no plan to bail out the power distribution companies of the states which are incurring huge losses due to government policies to provide quality electricity and cheap electricity to all. There is no discussion in the budget about strengthening the transmission sector which is very important for the power system.

There is nothing for the power generation companies of the states that provide cheapest electricity; they are not even mentioned in the budget,” Dube pointed out.

The UP Power Consumer Forum also criticised the budget, saying it had disappointed the power consumers.

“The ‘Suryoday’ solar power yojana announced by PM Narendra Modi for free power has little meaning for the poor as they do not have a roof over their heads. The budget is silent as to how long the poor consumers will have to wait for electricity at affordable rates,” he said.