RAS question
Rajasthan State Electricity Board was restructured into:
Correct answer: (B) 5 companies (RVUNL, RVPNL, and 3 Discoms).
Rajasthan State Electricity Board was unbundled in 2000 into five government companies: RRVUNL for generation, RRVPNL for transmission, and JVVNL, AVVNL and JdVVNL for distribution.
Explanation
The restructuring was part of Rajasthan's power-sector reform. The RERC records that the Rajasthan Power Sector Reforms Bill became effective from 1 June 2000 and that, on 19 July 2000, the erstwhile RSEB was unbundled. Its generation function went to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited, its transmission and bulk-supply function to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited, and distribution was separated into three companies: Jaipur, Ajmer and Jodhpur Vidyut Vitran Nigams. That created five successor companies in all, so restructuring was neither partial nor absent.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) RSEB was in fact unbundled in 2000, and RERC places the organisation change on 19 July 2000.
- (C) Three companies covers only the distribution arm; generation and transmission were also separated into their own government companies.
- (D) One company misses the unbundling design, under which RSEB's work was split across generation, transmission and three distribution companies.
Concept
Rajasthan Economy covers power-sector reform and public utility restructuring. RAS candidates must know how generation, transmission and distribution were separated after RSEB.