Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG), Chennai, in collaboration with the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), Chattisgarh Chapter and Anmol Foundation, organized a capacity building workshop on “Electricity Saving and Renewable Energy” on 5 September 2024, at Raipur, Chhattisgarh. This workshop is part of the initiative to improve traders’ awarness of energy conservation measures and renewable energy sources, thereby accelerating the clean energy transition in India. The goal of the workshop was to educate traders with the information and resources they needed to actively engage with the electricity sector.
Participants at the workshop
The program was coordinated by Mr. Sanjay Sharma, Founder Anmol Foundation and Mr. Mohan Vartyani, Member, CAIT. Mr. Amar Parwani, National Senior Vice president of CAIT, along with Mr. Jitendra Doshi, State President, CAIT Chhattisgarh welcomed the gathering and emphasized the importance of energy conservation measures. Simple measures like switching off utilities when not in use and replacement of conventional electrical appliances with the energy efficient appliances were mentioned.
Mr. Amar Parwani’s discussion with participants
Mr. Sanjeev Jain, Chief Engineer (Retd) Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA), discussed the importance of renewable energy, and related schemes and policies implemented in the state. He further spoke about the future of green hydrogen in India. His speech concluded with a note on climate change and its impact on society.
Speakers at the event
Mr. Sanjay Sharma, briefed about the rights and protection of electricity consumers. He also emphasized the current, low levels of awareness among the consumers about the rules and regulations of the state Electricity Board.
Mr. Sanjay Sharma’s discussion with participants
Mr. Manikandan’s (CAG) discussion with participants
Mr. M. Manikandan, Researcher, CAG, discussed the tariff structure of the state, and subsidies provided by the government through PM Surya Ghar and PM KUSUM schemes. He then spoke about the importance of understanding power factor, and especially the imposition of a penalty on consumers when it drops below 0.7. Further, he emphasized the importance of contracted demand and maximum demand in the electricity bills, and the need for consumers to understand this.
Speakers answer participants’ questions
The session was marked by active intraction between the speakers and participants on matters relating to energy saving, energy rating and reasons for fluctuation in electricity bill. Specific questions raised by participants included questions on the the differences between 5 star rated ACs and lower rated ACs, why non-use of electricity (such as when a shop is closed) does not mean no electricity bill, and how to register complaints with the electricity board through consumer grievance forums. Participants also requested CAG to demystify different technical terms in electricity bills across different stakeholders. At the end of the workshop, Mr. Mohan Vartyani summarized the main ideas that were covered. In order to improve the effectiveness and consumer-friendliness of the electricity sector, he emphasized the significance of continued traders' collaboration and engagement.