India has determined to give permission to power companies to pass on the costs of foreign coal to customers, a minister said, a move likely to raise up imports as well as investment in power generation, on the contrary bringing higher energy prices to consumers. Furthermore, information and broadcasting minister Manish Tiwari explained subsequent to a cabinet meeting that a proposal to raise gas prices has been postponed.

India known to be the world's third-largest producer of coal at the same time beyond half the country's power comes from burning the fuel, yet domestic output falls short of demand, triggering constant as well as lengthy power cuts in Asia's third-largest economy. It also brings into prominence the fact that power producers have to turn to expensive coal imports as well until now they have not been successful in passing these costs completely on to customers.

(AW:Samrat Biswas)