Farmers, trade unions join power employees to oppose privatisation of power sector

Farmers’ organisations and trade unions have decided to join power employees’ organisations in opposing the proposed privatisation of the power sector. A comprehensive struggle strategy will be announced at the Delhi meeting on December 14.

Farmers’ organisations and all-India trade unions have agreed to join the power employees’ organisations in opposing both the privatisation drive and the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025.

Shailendra Dubey, chairman of the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF), stated that farmers’ organisations and all-India trade unions concur that the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025 was introduced to fully privatise the entire power sector, and that a nationwide movement against it is absolutely essential. In this regard, the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) has called a meeting in Delhi on December 14.

All major national office-bearers of farmers’ organisations, including the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, and all-India trade unions have been invited to the joint meeting. Power employees and engineers in Uttar Pradesh have been fighting continuously for almost a year against the privatisation of the Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam and the Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam of Uttar Pradesh.

VK Gupta informed that the Government of India has released the draft of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025 to privatise the entire energy sector of the country and has sought comments on it by November end. Additionally, as per the decision of the Group of Ministers’ meeting, states are being pressured that the Central Government will provide financial assistance only if the states accept one of the three privatisation options.