Essential that we frame our own rules adhering to our necessities: Power Minister Manohar Lal

It is imperative that we make our own rules adhering to our own necessities instead of directly borrowing regulations from others, said Union Minister for Power Manohar Lal on Monday (January 19, 2026).

Speaking at the inauguration of the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Regulatory Affairs in the Power Sector at IIT Delhi, he explained, “We [India’s power sector] are competing with the world. They will frame their own regulations; we will also frame our regulations. However, it is necessary that instead of [borrowing entirely] their regulations, we frame regulations that adhere to our requirements.”

Separately, he had stated, “There must come a day when our regulations are accepted by the world [as a standard].”

Further, Mr. Lal emphasised that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolve to do away with redundant regulations. “Regulations are important; however, it is essential that regulations further drive excellency,” he said, adding, “There is no gain if we keep regulating but do not scale any excellence.”

‘Discoms in profits would help investor confidence’

Commenting on Distribution Companies (DisComs) in India turning profitable in FY 2024-25 after years of being in loss, Mr. Lal mentioned, “Discoms being in profit would help spur investor confidence in varied streams of the sector. It would help facilitate rapid privatisation at scale in the sector when they are assured that the [overall] sector is profitable.”

For context, the Power Ministry informed on Sunday (January 18, 2026) that reversing several years of losses, India’s power distribution utilities — namely, Distribution Companies (DisComs) and power departments — posted a net profit of ₹2,701 crore in FY 2024-25. The Hindu learnt from a senior official in the Ministry that the profit-run was primarily led by state-run DisComs trimming their losses by approximately 80% from FY 2023 to FY 2025, a senior official in the Power Ministry told The Hindu.