Energy pricing: Debate needed, says PM

Concerned over 'distortions' that have crept into the country's energy pricing policies, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday a national debate was needed on the issue.

"Can we afford to persist with the distortions that have long crept into our energy pricing policies? Are we contributing to environmental degradation through some of our energy pricing policies?, he asked at the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit.

Singh questioned whether the country was encouraging overuse of resources through misdirected subsidies and what were long term costs of short term benefits through such policies.

He also posed a query on whether the country was hurting its future energy security needs by shirking the responsibility to grapple with the political challenges on hand. "We need a much wider national debate on such issues", he said.

Singh preceded his remarks by saying Tata Energy Research Institute should present a global vision on energy security including what the country should do and should not do to address the challenges.

"What are the technology choices available and what public policy choices do we have that will enable government to address the challenges we face in making clean and affordable energy available to our people", he asked.