Politics
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Punjab rice mills warn as state gets 1,051 MW less
The Hindu··13 Sept
The Punjab Rice Millers and Exporters Association said on September 12, 2026 that power cuts left millers unable to lift Basmati paddy from yards. Director Ashok Sethi said stocks are piling in Amritsar and nearby districts. Power Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said Punjab receives 1,051 MW less than its central pool share. Opposition parties accused the AAP government over outages.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Continued milling delays can back up mandi arrivals and affect export consignments timed for festive demand.
- Farmers selling Basmati may face storage losses if dryers stay offline during cuts.
- Households and industry share the same grid, so prolonged shortages hit multiple sectors together.
What's Happening
- The association told the power secretary that irregular cuts during processing season put farmers in crisis.
- The Punjab State Electricity Board Engineers Association warned the chief minister last month about shortages.
- Sond said the Centre should immediately provide Punjab its due share from the central pool.
Punjab power pool shortfall
- Punjab's paddy harvest season concentrates power demand for drying and milling.
- Central pool allocations link state shortfalls to interstate generation schedules.
- Basmati growing districts named in the letter include Amritsar and Gurdaspur.
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