A two-day national workshop on Power Sector Reforms and Regulation in India was organized by Prayas at Pune on 22nd and 23rd March 2007. The objective of the workshop was to share experiences of power sector developments in different states. About thirty representatives from various civil society and consumer organizations from ten states participated in the workshop and shared their experiences.  The program started with an update on developments at the national level on policy, legislative, and structural issues.  Then participants from eight states presented updates on the power sector in their respective states.  In addition, there were presentations on the overall progress in reforms in the states, renewables, nuclear power, and the oil and gas sector.

During deliberations in the workshop, participants expressed serious concerns about several recent developments and felt that immediate actions are needed to protect consumers’ interests and the broader public interest in the electricity sector. This led to a joint declaration by the participants. The declaration highlights key concerns of consumers and civil society, such as judgments of the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity and the need for third party monitoring of quality of service and capital expenditure of distribution licensees. The declaration calls for immediate actions by concerned authorities (Government of India, Ministry of Power, Forum of Regulators as well as regulatory commissions) to protect consumers’ interests and the public interest.