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The Hindu
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
KSEB unions welcome draft regulations
While prosumers have slammed the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission's draft regulations on renewable energy, employees' unions in the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) have largely welcomed them. Left and Congress-backed unions in the KSEB on Wednesday described the proposals as timely and vital for resolving issues posed by the rapid scale-up of solar power capacity in Kerala. The unions aired their views on the penultimate day of the public hearings organised by the commission on the draft. Over 70% of the solar power generated during daytime was being exported to the grid by prosumers, they said. The cost of having to accommodate this excess energy plays havoc with the KSEB's scheduled power agreements and finances. A situation has now arisen where the gains made by the prosumer population of around 2 lakh are coming at the expense of the entire 1.4 crore electricity consumers of the KSEB, they said. The unions welcomed the proposal to limit the net metering system to 3 kW, but called for more studies on new technologies such as peer-to-peer trading (P2P). Observing that Kerala's solar capacity has grown by 275% over the past two years, the Left-backed KSEB Officers' Association (KSEBOA) welcomed the commission's efforts to encourage energy storage systems through the draft regulations. Welcoming the draft proposals, the KSEB Workers' Association, affiliated to the CITU, called for constructive solutions to balance the requirements of the prosumers and ordinary consumers of the KSEB. The association, however, pointed out that there is a need to correct the propaganda that the draft is against the prosumers. The Kerala Power Board Officers Federation and the INTUC-backed Kerala Electricity Employees Confederation said urgent measures are needed to address the challenges posed by excess injection of solar power into the grid. At the same time, the new investors in the renewable energy sector needs to be encouraged. A demand was also made at the hearing that the commission set a ceiling on the cost of installing solar plants. The series of public hearings held by the commission on the draft will conclude on Thursday.
The Hindu
22-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Panel to hear trade unions representing ASHAs on June 30
A committee formed by the State government to study the problems faced by the Accredited Social Health Activist Workers (ASHAs) will hear the trade unions representing them on June 30. The hearing will be held at the South Conference Hall of the Secretariat. The Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association, the CITU-backed Kerala State ASHA Workers Federation, the INTUC-backed All Kerala Pradesh ASHA Workers Congress, the ASHA Workers Federation (STU) and the AITUC-backed All India Trade Union Congress have been given time at the hearing. Each union can be represented by up to three persons, of which two should be ASHAs, according to a direction issued by the State Health and Family Welfare department. ASHAs have been on agitation mode demanding better remuneration and retirement benefits.
