India to Open Retail Power Market to Private Firms

13 Oct 2025 CW Team

India is planning to open its retail electricity market to private companies across the country, ending decades of dominance by state-run distributors, according to a draft bill released by the federal power ministry on Friday.

The proposal would enable private firms such as Adani Enterprises, Tata Power, Torrent Power, and CESC to expand their operations nationwide. A previous attempt to introduce such reforms in 2022 faced strong opposition from state-run power distribution companies.

Currently, only a few electricity distribution zones — including the National Capital Region, Odisha, and industrial states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat — have been privatised, as the existing laws do not explicitly permit wider private participation. The majority of India’s power distribution remains under state control, with utilities burdened by heavy financial losses.

The central government has been urging state power boards to reduce losses, strengthen their finances, and modernise outdated infrastructure. Earlier this year, Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, invited bids to privatise two of its four power distribution companies.

As of June 2025, state utilities owed power generators around Rs 566 billion (USD 6.78 billion), creating severe liquidity constraints for independent power producers and limiting credit availability across the sector, according to a report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

The draft bill also proposes allowing multiple private players to operate within the same distribution area — a move that would break the existing monopoly structure under the Electricity Act. If implemented, the reform could mark one of the most significant overhauls of India’s power sector in decades, potentially improving competition, service quality, and financial efficiency.

Infrastructure Urban

11 Mar 2026

India Expands Semiconductor Training To 500 Institutions

Under the Chips to Startups programme of the India Semiconductor Mission, the Union minister responsible for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and IT reported notable progress in talent development. He indicated that over the past four years substantial steps have been taken towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. World-class EDA tools have been deployed in 315 academic institutions across the country to provide students with practical exposure to chip design. These EDA tools are supported by leading global firms and are accessible t..

Delhi Institutions Support India Semiconductor Mission

The Government of India has prioritised talent development through training, upskilling and workforce development under the Chips to Startups initiative of the India Semiconductor Mission, with officials noting progress in four years towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. Electronic design automation tools provided by Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, Renesas, Ansys and AMD have been deployed in 315 academic institutions, enabling students to gain practical chip design experience. Chips have been fabricated and tested at the Semiconductor Laboratory, Mohali, a..

NHA Announces Winners Of NHCX Hackathon At IIT Hyderabad

The National Health Authority (NHA) has concluded the NHCX Hackathon under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to stimulate innovation around the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX). The winning teams presented their solutions at the NHCX Innovation Meet held at IIT Hyderabad during a two-day event in March 2026 that also served as the hackathon grand finale. The hackathon itself ran from 22 to 28 February 2026 and aimed to accelerate paperless, transparent claims processing across India. The event was organised with a range of ecosystem partners, including the Insurance Regulatory a..