After pandemic, Delhi sees rise in power demand in new year

Electricity demand in Delhi is picking up in the new year and recovering from the coronavirus pandemic-hit 2020 with January registering 19 per cent more peaks on 23 days than that in the last year, officials of power distribution companies said on Monday.

Delhi’s peak power demand was 3,504 MW (megawatt) on December 1, 2020. Since then, it has increased by over 50 per cent, said a BSES spokesperson.

“In January 2021, Delhi’s peak power demand on 23 days surpassed the peak power demand on corresponding days of January 2020 by up to 19 per cent,” he said. However, Delhi’s peak power demand in January 2021 at 5,265 MW was a shade less than the peak power demand of 5,343 MW in January 2020, he added. In the winters, Delhi’s peak power demand crossed 4,000 MW for the first time on December 16, 2020, and 5,000 MW on January 1, 2021, he said.

Patna, Feb. 8: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will expand his cabinet on Tuesday, an official said. Induction of new members in the state Cabinet will take place in the afternoon at Raj Bhavan where they will be administered the oath by governor Phagu Chauhan.

The state Cabinet at present has 14 members, including the chief minister. As per norms, it can have up to 36 members.

Mr Kumar, meanwhile, observed that the new agriculture laws are in the “interests of the farmers”, and expressed hope that misgivings over the legislations that have arisen in some states will be addressed squarely by the Centre.

He asserted that the controversy around the new laws will have no impact in Bihar where Agricultural Produce Market Committees were done away with more than a decade ago and a viable alternative system put in place.

He also welcomed the assurance given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the floor of the Rajya Sabha earlier in the day, that the system of MSPs will not be tinkered with while bringing in the agriculture reforms. “It is good that the government has made it clear that MSPs are there to stay... these laws have been brought for the betterment of farmers. Bihar is not affected by the controversy since we abolished APMCs long back. —