Magazine

Last edition
February 2026

Home › Business ›Power Minister Calls for Stronger, Financially Viable DISCOMs at EDICON 2026

Power Minister Calls for Stronger, Financially Viable DISCOMs at EDICON 2026

Power Minister Manohar Lal underscored the need for financially strong and self-sustaining DISCOMs while inaugurating EDICON 2026, the national conference on electricity distribution organised by the Ministry of Power and All India Discoms Association.

January 22, 2026. By Mrinmoy Dey

The growing economy requires a thriving power sector, and in such a scenario, it is crucial for our DISCOMs to be strong, prosperous, and financially empowered, stated Power Minister Manohar Lal.

The minister was delivering the inaugural address at ‘Electricity Distribution Industry Conference ‘EDICON: 2026', which is organised under the aegis of the Ministry of Power, in collaboration with All India Discoms Association (AIDA).

The Minister urged the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions to move forward towards cost-reflective tariffs, while also ensuring targeted subsidies for needy consumers in accordance with the provisions of the Electricity Act.

The Minister unveiled the first publication of the annual report of AIDA titled ‘India Discoms: 2025’, which contains an outlook of the distribution sector, including present efforts from distribution companies to improve the reliability of supply and operational efficiency, the challenges being faced by the distribution companies, and a brief summary of the various initiatives taken by Ministry of Power and CERC to address these challenges like key features of the Draft Electricity Amendment Bill, India Energy Stack, etc.

Lal also conferred Gold and Silver awards to 12 Discoms across six different categories. These included Discoms from Gujarat, Odisha, Assam, Bihar, UP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The six award categories are related to Improvement in the recovery of revenue in rural areas, Best use of smart meter data, Improvement in consumer satisfaction in terms of digital payments, Innovation in renewable energy integration, Agricultural feeder solarisation, and Effective change management for improvement in consumer services.

Pankaj Agarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Power, Lokesh Chandra, CMD, MSEDCL and President, AIDA, Dr. Ashish Kumar Goel, Chairperson, UPPCL and General Secretary, AIDA, Alok Kumar, Director General, AIDA and other eminent personalities from the power sector were present on the occasion.

Tags:

Business

Ministry of Power

Manohar Lal

All India Discom Association

Dr. Ashish Kumar Goel

UPPCL