Press Release of All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF)
The Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the National Electricity Policy 2026 are a direct attack on the right of people to have affordable power. The government is implementing the agenda of big capitalists by aggressively pushing for privatisation across generation, transmission and distribution. The privatisation of power sector is anti-worker, anti-people and anti-social. The struggle of power sector workers deserves support of all working people and toilers.
ALL INDIA POWER ENGINEERS FEDERATION
PRESS RELEASE
New Delhi, 27 January 2026
AIPEF Serves Nationwide Strike Notice for February 12 Against Power Sector Privatisation and Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025;
Warns lightning action against any rush through of EA Bill in Parliament.
The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF), representing power engineers working in State Power Utilities, Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) and Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) across the country, has formally served a nationwide strike / work boycott notice for February 12, 2026 to the Hon’ble Union Minister for Power.
Announcing the decision, Shri Shailendra Dubey, Chairman, AIPEF, said that the proposed strike reflects the deep-rooted anger and concern of lakhs of electricity employees and engineers against policies that threaten to dismantle India’s public power sector.
AIPEF has also issued a stern warning that if the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025 is introduced in Parliament during the Budget Session, power engineers along with power employees across the country will launch immediate lightning actions, including cessation of work and mass street mobilisation.
“Electricity is the backbone of India’s economy, agriculture, industry and rural livelihoods. The proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the National Electricity Policy 2026 are a direct attack on affordable power, public ownership, federal structure and national energy security,” Shri Dubey stated.
AIPEF has strongly opposed the Union Government’s push towards aggressive privatisation, including multi-licensing in distribution, forced smart metering, PPP and TBCB models in transmission, outsourcing of operations, and contractualisation of jobs. The Federation highlighted the failed privatisation experiment in Chandigarh and warned against similar moves in Uttar Pradesh (PVVNL and DVVNL), Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and other States.
The Federation has placed the following key demands before the Government:
- Immediate withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which promotes privatisation and multi-licensing, threatens cross-subsidies, raises tariffs, and allows private players to cherry-pick profitable consumers.
- Withdrawal of the SHANTI Act, 2025, which dilutes nuclear safety and accountability while opening the sector to private and foreign interests.
- Withdrawal of the National Electricity Policy, 2026, which aggressively pushes privatisation across generation, transmission and distribution.
- Complete halt to privatisation of power utilities, including immediate withdrawal of privatisation decisions for PVVNL and DVVNL in Uttar Pradesh.
- Withdrawal of smart metering.
- End contractualisation of jobs and regularisation of contract employees, who are running the sector without job security or social protection.
- Urgent recruitment of engineers and employees to fill massive vacancies affecting safety and reliability.
- Restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for power sector employees.
- Stop the attack on India’s federal structure by arm-twisting States through central schemes and directives.
“If the Government refuses to engage meaningfully, it will bear full responsibility for any disruption in power supply. Power engineers are left with no option but to defend public power and the interests of consumers,” Shri Dubey asserted.
Shailendra Dubey
Chairman
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