New Delhi, March 3 The Ministry of Power has extended the deadline for receiving comments on the Draft National Electricity Policy 2026 by one month, until March 19.
The extension was requested by several stakeholders who needed additional time to review the provisions of the draft electricity policy, the Ministry said in a notification dated February 25.
Previously, the deadline for submitting comments and suggestions was February 19.
The National Electricity Policy (NEP) 2026 aims to address high losses and debt of distribution companies (discoms), non-cost-reflective tariffs, and high cross-subsidisation.
A non-cost-reflective tariff is a pricing structure in which the rate charged to a particular consumer category is below the utility's average cost of generating, transmitting, and distributing electricity to that category.
Cross-subsidisation is a pricing mechanism in which certain consumer groups (industrial, commercial, and higher-income domestic users) are charged tariffs above the cost of supply to offset and subsidise the lower tariffs provided to other groups, such as agricultural consumers and low-income households.
The draft also aims to foster competition, ensure grid resilience to integrate increased shares of variable renewable energy, and provide consumer-centric services with demand-side interventions, the Ministry said in a statement.
This reform is being undertaken despite several achievements made since 2005; the power sector still faces challenges, especially in the distribution segment, the Ministry had said earlier.