White Paper: Govt reveals UPA's role in 2012 blackout; Congress counters allegations

In a scathing attack on the previous Congress-led UPA government, the current government has brought to light the repercussions of what is termed as India's largest power outage in July 2012, leaving a staggering 62 crore people in darkness. The revelation comes as part of the government's White Paper presented in Parliament, aiming to shed light on the economic landscape during the UPA reign.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled the 'White Paper on the Indian Economy' during the Lok Sabha session. The document underscores the severe power crisis that gripped the nation in 2012, amidst idle generation capacity exceeding 24,000 MW due to fuel shortages like coal and gas. This dire situation plunged the power sector into a state of paralysis, exacerbating power cuts across the nation.

Highlighting the grim scenario upon assuming power in 2014, the White Paper outlines the critical coal shortages plaguing two-thirds of coal-based power plants, amplifying overall power scarcity. Villages endured a mere 12 hours of electricity daily, exacerbating challenges for farmers reliant on consistent power supply.

International agencies had also flagged India's electricity shortages, citing poor service quality leading to crop losses and equipment damage. The World Bank's 2008 report underscored the erratic power supply's detrimental impact on agriculture, a critical sector sustaining millions, mentioned the paper.

The paper also says, the 2012 power crisis remains etched in memory as two major blackouts struck India, affecting over a billion individuals across 21 states. The scale of the outage underscores the magnitude of the challenge faced by the nation's power infrastructure.

In response, Congress unveiled a "black paper," aiming to counter the government's narrative. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge presented a comprehensive document outlining alleged injustices during the Modi government's tenure, including economic disparities, unemployment, and perceived favouritism towards BJP-governed states.

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