CAG, in association with some CSOs in Tamil Nadu, is working on a project “Accelerating Clean Energy Transition By Improving Stakeholder Participation For Electricity Governance In India”. The project is designed to facilitate consumer and civil society organization involvement in the electricity sector. A media workshop was organised jointly by Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG) and Consumer Rights Movement on 07th July, 2024 at Hotel RK Residency, Salem, Tamil Nadu. The workshop had media personnel from print, electronic, and digital media. Invitees included editors and subject reporters.
Dr. Gunavarthini, Executive Engineer, TANGEDCO at the media workshop
Dr. Gunavarthini, Executive Engineer, Salem East, TANGEDCO, was a special guest at the workshop. She highlighted that current electricity consumption is on the rise.but that despite this increase, TANGEDCO is committed to providing high-quality and uninterrupted electricity to its consumers. She emphasized the importance of raising awareness about energy-efficient appliances in households as a top priority. Additionally, she stressed the need to educate people about the benefits and advantages of using solar power systems.
G.N.Bharath Ram, CAG, explaining the project’s objectives
G.N. Bharath Ram, a researcher at CAG, provided an overview of the project and its expected outcomes. He discussed CAG's main goals, including raising consumer awareness, helping consumers address complaints, and connecting them with government organizations. Furthermore, he emphasized the role of empowering consumers with energy-saving tips and highlighted the impact of individual energy usage on the broader energy revolution.
B.Manikandan, CAG, during his presentation
Manikandan, a researcher at CAG, delivered a comprehensive overview of the country's electricity generation and installed capacity. His presentation emphasized the importance of energy audits for both households and MSMEs. He highlighted that energy audits are essential for identifying areas where energy can be saved and costs reduced. Furthermore, he provided various examples demonstrating how energy audit initiatives have resulted in significant energy savings in the MSME sector. He mentioned that the CAG's initiative to conduct energy audits for village panchayats (local bodies) helps in reducing their electricity bills.
Panel of media personnel, expressing their views
Panel Discussion: Introduction and Media Reporting on Energy Issues
The journalists on the panel shared diverse perspectives on the challenges they face in accurately and effectively reporting on complex energy topics. They emphasized the need for balanced coverage, stressed the importance of avoiding sensationalism, and highlighted the necessity of promoting energy literacy among the public. The discussion underscored the vital role of responsible and well-informed media reporting in shaping public understanding and policy discourse on energy issues.
(i) Mr. S.D. Kumaresan, a senior reporter at Sun TV, pointed out that while the media works hard to bring attention to issues in the power sector that affect the public, he believes that the media lacks the necessary expertise to cover energy conservation topics. He mentioned that senior reporters are primarily trained to cover power outages and tariff issues at a broader level. This gap exists because there is minimal interaction between TANGEDCO officials and the media beyond reporting power outages. Additionally, neither TANGEDCO nor other energy departments have organised any workshops that focus on clean energy . He sensed that such workshops would prompt the media to give more weight to such news articles. This, in turn, will enable consumers to be better informed.
(ii) Mr. K. Senthil Kumaran, a Senior Reporter at the Times of India, stressed the media's dedication to addressing consumer concerns. There is still a market for newspapers and people still believe the information published is useful. Using this as an opportunity, he pointed out that English newspapers consistently cover energy crises and advocate for the importance of energy conservation in such situations. Traditionally, the media prioritises delivering "high-value" information, thus making the journal more prominent and increasing its viewership . The selection criteria for the news articles that are published in the media are predominantly due to decisions by the top management. Additionally, he emphasized a growing awareness within the media about global climate change issues, and energy issues have started to reflect in the media. He also added that on average, Tamil newspapers publish only about two articles per week on electricity related topics.
(iii) Mr. S. Mohanraj, a reporter for Puthiya Thalaimurai, has extensively covered news on electricity fire accidents and tariff rates. He believes that electricity is a fundamental aspect of daily life and that no business can function without it. Despite this, he observed that there is a lack of emphasis on publishing news related to energy conservation in the media. This is mainly due to a lack of knowledge on the subject.
(iv) Mr. G. Vijayakumar, a Senior Journalist at All India Radio (AIR), mentioned that in the past, AIR used to be the primary source for publishing news articles related to electricity schemes, the electricity ministry, and other government information about electricity. The internet has increased the information dissemination among the public due to which available data on a particular topic has significantly increased in quantity and quality. This has allowed many media outlets to cover it extensively and create dedicated sections, for example, ‘electricity news’. The previous challenge of insufficient information and knowledge on a subject, he added, could no longer be the reason why the media did not cover a subject. Additionally, Mr. Vijayakumar pointed out that the persistent lack of rapport between TANGEDCO and various media houses affects the essence of bringing out consumer-friendly news articles.
Mr.A.Jayaraman, former employee of TANGEDCO at the workshop
Mr.A.Jayaraman, a former employee of TANGEDCO provided valuable insights into the crucial elements of consumer protection outlined in the TNERC Electricity Distribution Code, Supply Code, and Distribution Standards of Performance. Additionally, he offered a detailed explanation of the Rights of Consumer Rules, 2020, accompanied by relevant examples for each rule. For example,
(i) The period for obtaining a new electricity connection under the Rules has been reduced from seven days to three days in metropolitan areas, from fifteen days to seven days in other municipal areas, and from thirty days to fifteen days in rural areas.
(ii) if there is any delay in providing services will make the distribution company (TANGEDCO) liable to pay compensation to the affected consumers.
Additionally, he detailed how to calculate electricity bills per unit cost with the tariff rates and explained how the subsidy was given for the first 100 units in Tamil Nadu.
Dr. Nandakumar, during the workshop
Dr. Nandakumar, the Head of the Department of Media Studies at Periyar University, gave a keynote address emphasizing the importance of capacity-building workshops for all consumers, including media personnel. He emphasized that reporters are more effective at conveying information through the media when they have a good understanding of the subject. Given that media reporters are always on the lookout for breaking news, the information they receive should be as valuable as the breaking news itself to resonate with them.
Media personnel at the workshop