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India plans mail-outs to woo power users to reform

Indian Power Minister Suresh Prabhu, battling to reinvigorate reforms of his country's sputtering power sector, has hit upon a new strategy to woo tens of millions of electricity consumers.

Prabhu plans to write a letter to each consumer, asking for their support for his reform programme to tone up India's utilities, recraft tariffs and attract foreign investors.

"How do you generate political will?" he told Reuters in an interview late on Sunday. "Therefore, I am launching a massive political awareness programme. I am talking to all the consumers. In fact, I am going to write to all the consumers in India. For the first time. Asking, telling, making them aware about the realities."

For many of the prospective recipients of Prabhu's letters, those realities are grim.

Vast tracts of India suffer from power blackouts, especially during the hot summer months.

Many consumers believe free power is a kind of birthright, and transmission and distribution losses -- including theft -- are a high 25 per cent.

Prabhu said he has begun to put his plan into action by writing to trade unions and employees of state power utilities.

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