New Delhi, July 7 (AHN) Reliable electricity supply is not merely about powering lights and fans but is closely linked to dignity, livelihoods and equitable development, former Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) Chairman Suresh Kumar Agarwal said on Tuesday, while stressing the need for structural reforms to improve the quality of power supply in rural areas.

Delivering the keynote address at a roundtable on "Bridging the Rural-Urban Divide in Reliable and Quality Power Supply: A Path to Equitable Development with focus on Uttar Pradesh", organised by APCO in collaboration with Chintan Research Foundation (CRF), Agarwal said that while India has made remarkable progress in expanding electricity access through increased generation capacity and nationwide electrification, ensuring reliable and quality power supply, particularly in rural areas, remains a significant challenge.

"Electricity supply is not just for light and fan it is a matter of dignity, honour and livelihood”, Kumar said.

"Past reforms successfully expanded electricity access through generation capacity and nationwide electrification, but reliability and service quality, particularly in rural areas, continue to remain major challenges," he mentioned.

He said addressing network constraints, staffing shortages, distribution planning and effective monitoring of rural feeders would be critical to improving service quality and ensuring equitable access to electricity.

Welcoming participants, APCO Associate Director Vipin Chanddra highlighted the importance of discussions aimed at strengthening the power distribution system.

In his opening remarks, Dr Debajit Palit, Centre Head of the Centre for Climate Change and Energy Transition at CRF, said India's electricity sector has reached a critical stage where future reforms must shift focus from access to reliability, quality and consumer-centric services.

He noted that with renewable energy playing an increasingly important role in meeting electricity demand, the distribution segment has become the crucial link between policy and consumers. Uttar Pradesh, with its rapidly rising power demand, expanding industrialisation, implementation of the PM Surya Ghar initiative and persistent rural-urban disparities, presents an important opportunity for advancing equitable and reliable electricity supply through structural reforms, he added.

During the inaugural session, the keynote speaker and panellists unveiled a policy brief titled "Bridging the Rural-Urban Divide in Reliable and Quality Power Supply: A Path to Equitable Development", prepared jointly by researchers from APCO and CRF.