Why SECI is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons

CMD sacked, secretary takes temporary charge

- ARUNIMA BHARADWAJ

THE CENTRE'S DECISION to terminate the services of Rameshwar Prasad Gupta, chairman and managing director (CMD) of the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), appears to be a case of delayed retribution.

Although the government did not provide any official reason for the move, the abrupt suspension of Gupta's services "with immediate effect"—just a month before the end of his tenure—comes amid a series of controversies surrounding the public-sector nodal agency.

On Monday, the government gave Santosh Kumar Sarangi, secretary, ministry of new & renewable energy, additional charge of SECI CMD, "till the appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders, whichever is earlier." Clearly, Gupta's termination signifies more than meets the eye.

To be sure, the renewable energy (RE) sector is one that has made major headway in recent years, and SECI played an important role in this. With rapid capacity addition, RE now accounts for nearly half of the installed power generation capacity in the country, up from a little over 30% a decade ago.

However, the agency hogged the limelight for all the wrong reasons in 2024.

Its name surfaced, though without explicit incrimination, in the US indictment of Adani Group in November for alleged bribery of $250 million to Andhra Pradesh's electricity distribution companies.