We reduced revenue-expenditure gap of power discom, gave uninterrupted power supply: Senthil Balaji

Business To Business, Chennai, 25^th June, 2026:   Senthil Balaji Defends DMK’s Power Sector Record, Counters Government’s White Paper
Former Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji on Thursday defended the previous DMK government's management of the state's power sector, asserting that it significantly narrowed the revenue-expenditure gap of the power distribution utility while ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply.
Addressing a press conference in Chennai, Balaji criticised a recently released white paper by Electricity Minister R Nirmal Kumar, alleging that it presented a distorted picture of the sector by overlooking key financial realities, including legacy debts and unavoidable operational costs.
Balaji said that during the AIADMK government's tenure from 2011 to 2016, the financial deficit of the then Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation—later restructured as Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited—stood at Rs 56,361 crore and increased to Rs 58,534 crore during the 2016-2021 period.
In contrast, he claimed that during the DMK government's five-year tenure, the utility recorded total revenue of Rs 4,97,996 crore against expenditure of Rs 5,32,443 crore, reflecting a substantial reduction in the gap between income and expenditure.
Balaji maintained that the DMK administration successfully balanced financial management with the objective of providing uninterrupted power supply to consumers across the state. He argued that any assessment of the power sector's performance should take into account inherited liabilities and structural challenges faced by the utility.
The remarks come amid an ongoing political debate over the financial health and operational performance of Tamil Nadu's power sector, following the release of the government's white paper on the subject.