Sat Sharma flags winter power crisis of J&K in RS

Jammu, Mar 18: J&K Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president and Member of Parliament, Sat Sharma on Wednesday flagged winter power crisis of J&K through an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha concerning the strengthening of power infrastructure in the Union Territory.

In his question, Sat Sharma sought to know whether the government identified the reasons behind frequent power cuts in Jammu and Kashmir during winter months, the steps taken to mitigate these outages and the measures being implemented to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply in the region.

Responding to the question, the Minister of State for Power, Shripad Naik, informed the House, “The electricity distribution falls under the purview of the respective State or Union Territory. As per the report of the UT of J&K, the primary reasons for winter power cuts include constraints in transmission and distribution systems, alongside unrestricted energy consumption in unmetered areas.”

The Minister further highlighted that the Government of India had been consistently supporting Jammu and Kashmir through various flagship schemes aimed at strengthening power infrastructure. Under schemes such as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) and Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA), projects worth Rs 2,909 Cr were executed in the region.

Additionally, under the Prime Minister Development Package (PMDP), projects worth Rs 2,780 Cr were completed to enhance distribution systems and infrastructure.

Shripad Naik also informed that under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), projects worth over Rs 6,000 Cr were sanctioned for Jammu and Kashmir, focusing on loss reduction, smart metering and overall system efficiency.

“To further ease the power situation during winters, the Ministry allocates additional electricity from central generating stations each year. For the current winter season, 120 MW unallocated power from Patratu Thermal Power Plant, and 292.99 MW power from NTPC Kahalgaon Super Thermal Power Station, were allocated to Jammu and Kashmir, from October 2025 to February 2026,” the House was informed.

Sat Sharma emphasised that sustained efforts and effective implementation of these initiatives were crucial to ensure reliable and quality power supply for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially during the harsh winter months. He also appreciated the commitment of the Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for its focussed approach towards reforming and modernizing the power sector across the country, stating that such proactive initiatives were steadily strengthening infrastructure and improving service delivery in regions like Jammu and Kashmir.