As long as AAP government is in power, people will continue to get 24 hours free electricity: Bhagwant Singh Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann today asserted that there has been a major structural change in the power sector of the state under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The department which was once incurring losses is now making profits despite providing free electricity to 90 percent of the households. He said that the government has not only ensured zero electricity bills for most of the households by providing 600 units of free electricity, but has also significantly improved power availability by purchasing the 540 MW Goindwal Thermal Power Plant, changing the old trend of selling public assets by previous governments.

What did Chief Minister Mann say?

The Chief Minister said tariffs have been reduced for other categories including commercial and industrial consumers, farmers are getting uninterrupted power supply and infrastructure has been strengthened through new substations and transformers. Emphasizing on employment generation, he said that 9593 youth have been given jobs in the power sector and recruitment is going on for 1750 other posts. Receiving A+ rating by Punjab Electricity Department (PSPCL) and securing second position at the national level reflects the government’s commitment to make the state self-reliant in power sector and provide 24 hours free electricity to the people.

During the press conference, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The AAP government has set a new record by providing cheap and uninterrupted electricity to every area. For the first time, people are being given continuous electricity supply without any additional financial burden.” He further said, “When we took over the reins of the state, only 22 percent canal water was being used for irrigation, but now it has increased to 78 percent and it will be increased to 90 percent by the coming paddy season.”

Talking about the irrigation reforms, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The capacity of the Bhakra Canal is 9500 cusecs, but due to our efforts, now 11,000 cusecs of water is being provided to the farmers. That is, a capacity like a new Bhakra Canal has been created without acquiring an inch of land.” He said, “For the first time, every drop of water is being accounted for, which will not only increase production but the agriculture sector will also continue to get free electricity.”

What did CM say on power supply?

Regarding power supply, the Chief Minister said, “For the first time, farmers got more than eight hours of power supply during the paddy season and 95 percent supply was ensured during the day.” He further said, “Domestic consumers are being given 300 units of free electricity per month and almost 90 percent of the houses are getting zero electricity bills.”

Giving information about employment opportunities, Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “About 9593 employees have been recruited in PSPCL and PSTCL from April 2022, which includes 8014 direct recruitments and 1579 jobs given on compassionate basis.” He further said that the recruitment process is going on for 1181 posts in PSPCL and 569 posts in PSTCL, which will be completed by June 2026.

Referring to the record achievements, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Punjab met the highest ever power demand of 16,670 MW on June 5, 2025, surpassing the previous record of 16,058 MW on June 29, 2024.” He said that while most of the governments are privatizing public assets, the Punjab government has set a new example by purchasing a private thermal plant for Rs 1080 crore.

Expressing pride in this achievement, the Chief Minister said, “The cost of a new plant with the same capacity would have been Rs 4320 crore, which has proved to be the cheapest and most beneficial decision of the government.” He told that this plant, earlier known as GVK Thermal Power Plant, has now been named after Shri Guru Amardas Ji. Following the acquisition in February 2024, the plant at Goindwal Sahib has seen significant performance improvement—plant load factor increasing from 34 per cent to 65 per cent in FY 2024-25, reaching 90 per cent in July 2024 and 82 per cent in July 2025.

Regarding infrastructure and fuel supply, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the transmission capacity has increased from 7400/8000 MW to 10400/10900 MW, due to which the proportion of power supply from the national grid has increased. Supply from Pachchwara coal mine has started again and 70 lakh metric tonnes of coal was supplied in the year 2024-25, due to which a saving of Rs 1462 crore has been achieved since October 2022.

He said there is no shortage of coal at any thermal plant—there is 41 days of stock available at Ropar, 37 days at Lehra Mohabbat and 32 days at Goindwal Sahib. He said that the 206 MW Shahpur Kandi Hydel Project is expected to be commissioned by May 2027, on which Rs 5192.51 crore has been spent till September 2025.

Promoting clean energy, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the use of green energy will be increased from 20 percent to 80 percent in the next six years. 2720 ​​MW solar power has been added at the rate of Rs 2.33 to 2.97 per unit, whereas earlier this rate was Rs 15.20 per unit. He informed that 2062 MW solar projects are in progress, 658 MW have been commissioned and 581 MW rooftop solar has been installed.

Regarding network strengthening, he said that 26 new 66 KV substations have been installed, 194 transformers have been upgraded and 34 new transformers have been installed with 2738 MVA capacity addition and 337 circuit kilometers of new lines.

Announcing a new initiative, the Chief Minister said a scheme to underground the high-tension wires passing through farmers’ fields would soon be launched, starting from his native village, where 413 tube wells and 1100 electric poles are spread over an area of ​​2000 acres. This will provide relief to farmers and their crops from risk.

What did CM say on law and order?

On the issue of law and order, he said that Punjab Police is being modernized to deal with cyber crime and strict action will be taken against those who are in collusion with drug smugglers. After complaints in Bathinda, police employees of a police station have been transferred.

On the concerns of the farmers, he said that a special Girdawari has been ordered to assess the damage caused to the wheat crop due to the recent weather and after receiving the report, compensation will be given as per the rules. He assured that the government is committed to protecting the interests of farmers and the losses caused by natural disasters will be compensated. Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora and other dignitaries were also present on this occasion.