If unannounced power cuts do not stop in Punjab, PPBM will launch a protest against the government

Ludhiana, May 26, 2025: In light of the ongoing unannounced power cuts in Punjab, the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal (PPBM) held a meeting today at their office located at Mata Rani Chowk.

State General Secretary Sunil Mehra, State Secretary Ayush Aggarwal, Arvinder Makkar, District President Praveen Goyal, Chairman Pawan Lehar, District General Secretary Praveen Sharma, Ashwani Mahajan, and other members of the Mandal were present at the meeting.

The PPBM leaders stated that all the promises made by the AAP government have turned out to be hollow. The electricity policies of the Punjab government over the past three years have shown that every year the government hands over a lollipop to the public to pacify them for a year.

They said the government’s policies have always been anti-business, and now due to the lack of proper planning in the power sector, Punjab’s business community is suffering severely.

Quoting some figures, the leaders pointed out that Punjab’s total electricity generation capacity—whether from its own power plants, the central grid, or private suppliers—does not exceed 16,000 MW. In May 2025, the state’s power demand has already crossed 14,000 MW as compared to same figure in June last year. And with the upcoming paddy sowing season, demand will further rise. However, the government is already struggling to supply even the existing 14,000 MW, resulting in unannounced cuts that are crippling the business community.

They also stated that the Punjab government had to repay ₹9,000 crore in five annual installments of ₹1800 crore each, as pending dues for free electricity provided in the budget of financial year 2022–23. However, it has only managed to pay two of those installments. Due to this, the central government has reduced the state’s eligible borrowing amount by ₹15,000 crore this year.

The leaders further added that this year the state government has allocated ₹21,200 crore for free electricity—₹1,200 crore more than last year. Failure to clear past dues, raising a new liability this year, the central government’s cut in funding, and a projected total debt of ₹4.17 lakh crore by the end of this fiscal year as per the state budget—all indicate the poor financial health of Punjab.

An increase in GST collection on one hand reflects rising inflation, while on the other hand, deteriorating law and order, migration of labor out of Punjab, anti-business policies of the state, and business-friendly policies of other states have attracted many industrialists and traders away from Punjab, which showcases downward trend of business growth. Falling of investments by more than 50% also shows deterirating condition of businesses in Punjab. As a result, many small and medium enterprises are leaving the state.

The PPBM leaders demanded that instead of merely handing out another “lollipop” this year like every previous year, the government should follow the model of other states by setting up new thermal power plants with higher generation capacity and formulate business-friendly policies in consultation with the trader community.

They warned that the current power crisis and unannounced cuts are causing major losses to businesses, and if the government does not resolve this electricity crisis this year, then businesses will have no option but to walk the path of destruction.

To save the collapsing business environment in Punjab, the PPBM has previously launched several movements and is prepared to do so again, if necessary