Powerless in summer
Come summer and most of the States in the country go through a period of power cuts or unscheduled load shedding to bridge the gap between peak demand and supply. The targets for power generation during the last two five-year Plans have just not been met, and the chasm between power generation and demand has widened. A booming economy has led to increased power consumption and a higher peak hour demand. The offer of free power to the agriculture sector and a populist subsidy for domestic consumers have ensured that the demand for electricity from two large sections of users can only rise.