Capacity Building on Electricity Reforms in Bangladesh,
India and Nepal (RESA)
Key Findings from India
Capacity Building, Advocacy, Research & Networking
Keya Ghosh, CUTS International
Regional Conference, 9th & 10th April, 2010, Kolkata
Presentation Outline
•
•
•
•
•
About RESA
Key Findings
Impact and Outcome
Proposed Way Forward for the Indian
Power Sector from RESA Learning
Way Forward for RESA
2
About RESA
•
Activities concluded: Project launch meeting & training
programme, local inception workshop , Consumer base line survey,
Reference group meetings, Territorial trainings, Grassroots interface
meetings, Mid term review meeting, Advocacy seminar (India,
Bangladesh and Nepal)
•
Project Outputs: Territorial base paper, Territorial training manual,
Vernacular handouts, E- newsletters, Poster, Policy briefs and
Articles
•
Highlights: GIM: 111 GIMs, Consumers reached - 5100 (Rajasthan
& West Bengal) and produced a video documentary – ‘Powered to
Grow’
•
Effective participation of consumers, people’s representative,
media and utility officials in project activities.
•
RESA Initiative – ‘Bottom Up Approach’
3
Key Findings
4
Findings….
Capacities of Consumers and Civil Society Organisations
(before RESA)
• Absolute lack of awareness about Power Sector
Reform
• Electricity Act 2003
• Complain Redressal Mechanism
• Electricity Regulatory Commissions
• About provisions and regulations for consumer
participation
• Their rights and responsibilities
• No experience of participation in regulatory process
Therefore the Indian Regulatory Process is characterized by
poor consumer participation.
5
And why this lack of capacity?
• Lack of Capacity or Awareness building programmes by
Utilities or Electricity Regulatory Commissions of these
two states.
• Lack of effective and innovative communication channels
for communication with Consumers and Community
• Existing formats of Public Consultations --how effective
and how popular?
What does the Electricity Act 2003 provide? Provisions exist
in the Act but not mandatory.
6
Findings…
Capacity of Utilities:
• Grassroots Utility staff lack knowledge of regulations,
capacity and skill to deliver consumer satisfaction.
• Lack of IT & ITES applications and training in
service delivery further enhance inefficiency.
Media:
• Role of media as a watch dog for the power sector has
been overall satisfactory but it has not aptly highlighted
regulatory & consumer participation issues.
• Capacity of media at local levels need improvement.
7
Other Findings…..
•
Complicated Consumer Grievance Redressal System
•
CGRS not easy to access for grassroots consumers.
•
Power shortage, low quality of power and lack of access to
electricity still plague many rural areas.
•
High cost of infrastructure payable by the consumer, hampers
legitimate access to electricity; promotes theft.
•
Choice of service providers
electricity.
•
Lack of ownership of system by the community.
•
Unscheduled Power cuts faced by consumers across project
territories.
•
Corruption and middlemen abound in the system leading to
consumer harassment
not available to consumers of
8
Impact & Outcome
9
On Consumers
• The Grassroots Interface Meetings (GIMs) were a phenomenal success.
• GIMs (111) reached out and sensitised close to 5100 consumers.
• Recorded & registered their problems, their needs and challenges
and subsequently came up with possible solutions.
• Post GIMs, consumer initiative.
10
On Civil Society and Utility
On Civil Society Organisations
• A strong network of capacitated grassroots civil society organisations (about 40 )
across Rajasthan and West Bengal
• Has extended and strengthened the network from Local to Regional Level.
• Created 40 grassroots trainers equipped to undertake advocacy on Electricity
On Utilities:
• GIMs provided an effective platform for two-way communication between the
utilities and consumers----– helped authorities understand the ground realities and problems faced by consumers;
– helped consumers to understand various limitations/problems of the utilities
• Utility companies in both the territories actively supported the project.
• Helped to initiate constructive dialogue on partnering consumer groups towards
11
better consumer services, transparency and awareness building.
On Regulators, Policy Makers and Media
• Helped regulators, policymakers & decision makers get in touch with
grassroots realities & issues.
• Developed a network amongst policy community, regulators, civil
society representatives and media to tackle the challenges jointly.
• Media involved in all key activities resulting in media enthusiasm about
power sector reforms and its importance.
12
Proposed Way Forward for the Indian Power Sector
Proposed Way Forward for the Indian Power Sector
from RESA Learning
Consumers’ perspective
13
Milestones for the Next Five Years
• Milestone1: Consumers of electricity should also have the
option of choosing their service providers from many
– Need to promote: Competition; Open access; Private investment in this
sector
• Milestone2: Enhanced and Effective Consumer participation in
Regulatory processes
– Regular Capacity building and Awareness programmes of CSOs and
Consumers to be undertaken proactively by Electricity Regulatory
Commissions.
– ERCs to develop effective and innovative communication channels for
communication with Consumers and Community
– Improve on the existing formats of Public Consultations
14
Milestones for the Next Five Years
• Milestone 3: Simplification of the Grievance Redressal Mechanism
• Milestone 4: Extension of GRM upto Local Supply Offices to bring it within reach
of Grassroots Consumers
– Necessary to : Do away with corruption in the system by removing the . scope for
middlemen
– Can be achieved through: Change in policy and regulations; Improved and
transparent service delivery mechanisms at all levels of utilities.
• Milestone 5: To find sustainable policy solutions to rationalise agricultural tariff to
do away with inefficient use of electricity.
• Milestone 6 : Undertake more Research
Renewable Energy solutions; Improve Energy efficiency; Good Regulatory Practices
from across the world; How to improve service delivery mechanism and How to harness
Consumer power in improving the performance of this sector.
15
Way Forward for RESA
• Replication of the RESA initiative in others states &
countries.
• Increased reach out to cover greater number of consumers and
civil society organisations in the same territories
• Strengthen, sustain and further the networks developed from
grassroots level to Regional level to promote regional cooperation on power issues
• Replication of the RESA model for other sectors.
16
Thank You
Dr. Keya Ghosh
kg@cuts.org
www.cuts-international.org
17
The RESA Experience
Education positively influences consumers’ ability to demand for services
Education level and complaint registration
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Bangladesh
West Bengal
Rajasthan
Nepal
Below
Primary
Primary
High School Graduate and
Above
18
The RESA Experience
Very few people are aware about the reform process.
Percentage share of respondent who are aware of reforms
West Bengal
Rajasthan
9%
26%
19
Initiative taken by Consumers post GIMs
Initiative taken by Consumers post GIMs (West Bengal)
Initiative Taken by Consumer Post GIMs (Rajasthan)
91.01%
100.00
90.00
80.00
70.00
60.00
37.94%
50.00
30.28%
40.00
13.81%
30.00
20.00
0.00%
1.00%
10.00
0.00
Shifted to CFL
Stopped
Theft
Registered
Complaint
Helped others
Attended
similar
meetings
Others
80.00
70.00
60.00
50.00
40.00
30.00
20.00
10.00
0.00
73.66%
47.02%
39.14%
42.71%
22.32%
9.67%
Shift to CFL
Stopped Theft
Registered
Complaint
Help others
Attended similar
meeting
Other
20
Change in Consumer Perception after attending GIMs
Change in Consumer Perception: Rajasthan
89%
82%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Change in Consumer Perception: West Bengal
76%
87.85%
100%
74.71%
80%
26%
20%
60%
40%
4%
20%
Awareness on
power reforms
Base line survey
Aware of
Regulatory
Commission
Aware of GRM
36.61%
9%
2%
0%
Awareness on
power reforms
Final survey
27%
Base line survey
Aware of Aware of GRM
Regulatory
CommissionFinal survey
21