Centre changed policy to ensure Bihar's power plant project goes to a particular firm: Pawan Khera
Patna (PTI): The Congress on Friday accused the Centre of changing its SHAKTI policy to ensure that a power plant project in Bihar's Bhagalpur district goes to a particular private firm close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The solar power project was converted into a thermal project, and the group has been given 1,050 acres of land at the rate of Re one per acre, chairman of the party's Media & Publicity wing, Pawan Khera, claimed in a press conference here.
"Senior BJP leader RK Singh, who served as a minister in the Modi government for 10 years, is saying the project is a scam worth Rs 62,000 crore. According to him, the firm will earn Rs 25,000 crore every year from this project," Khera said.
"Changes were made to the SHAKTI policy to ensure that the power project plant in Bhagalpur's Pirpainti goes to a particular firm. These changes were made directly at the level of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi," Khera alleged.
The SHAKTI (Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala Transparently in India) policy of 2017, formulated to transparently allocate coal to the power sector, was revised earlier this year to provide "greater flexibility, wider eligibility and better accessibility to coal", according to PIB release of July 28.
"We are also asking from the Central government: why did the Ministry of Energy of the Government of India revise the Bihar government's feasibility report to convert a solar project into a thermal project just to favour a particular group close to the PM," Khera said.
Won't this change have a negative impact on Bihar's Renewable Purchase Obligation, he asked.
The Congress leader also wondered why, despite the absence of coal linkage, was a thermal power plant under Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) given under the provisions of SHAKTI policy.
He asked if issuing a tender without finalising details is not violation of rules.
Besides, Khera said, when this project was to be given to a private firm, why a budget of Rs 21,000 crore was allocated for it in the central budget.
He alleged that the tender for the thermal project was issued without approval of the use Ganga river water, and the Bihar government spent Rs 58 crore on this project before it was floated.
Besides, no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and cost-benefit analysis were conducted for this project, he claimed.
Despite opposition of the several engineers and experts for the Pirpainti project, it was handed over to the favoured group, the Congress leader said.
The group has been given 1,050 acres of land at the rate of one rupee per acre, he said.
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Compromised PM didn't sign trade deal with US, but a bargain for Adani's release: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of signing a trade deal with the US only to secure the "release" of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani.
"Compromised PM did not strike a trade deal, but a bargain for Adani's release," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X, after reports that the US has agreed to settle the lawsuit that accused Adani of hiding alleged bribery.
The US government has agreed to settle the lawsuit filed against Adani, who is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company's huge solar energy project in India was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme, according to court filings published Thursday.
Reacting to the reports, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it was now clear why the PM agreed to the "hopelessly one-sided Indo-US trade deal that was really a steal by the US".
"And it is also clear why he abruptly halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025, acting on President Trump's threats rather than on our national interest. Reportedly, the Trump Administration is about to drop all charges of corruption against Modani," he said on X.
"How much more compromised can the PM get?" Ramesh asked.
In the lawsuit filed in late 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, who is a director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, of agreeing to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years.
It was alleged in the lawsuit that Adani Group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm's anti-bribery practices and policies.
The ports-to-energy conglomerate had denied the allegations.
