Explained: Why power costs vary and uniform national rate is difficult to implement

The cost of power in Punjab was forcing the poor to switch off fans even in the summer, and was chasing industrial units out of the state, he said.

power tariff, power supply, electricity, Shwait Malik, Rajya Sabha, electricity, Express Explained, Explained, Parliament, Indian Express, India News — The cost of power in Punjab was forcing the poor to switch off fans even in the summer. (Reuters)

BJP MP Shwait Malik suggested in Rajya Sabha Monday that power tariffs should be uniform across the country so that affordable power is available to all. Malik, who represents Punjab in the Upper House, complained that consumers in his state-paid Rs 8 per unit of electricity, much more than consumers in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The cost of power in Punjab was forcing the poor to switch off fans even in the summer, and was chasing industrial units out of the state, he said.