Union Government Appointed G B Pradhan as the Chairperson of the CERC

Union Government of India appointed on 17 October 2013 Gireesh B. Pradhan, former Secretary of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, as the Chairperson of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC).

About Gireesh B. Pradhan
• Gireesh B. Pradhan , a Maharashtra Cadre IAS officer of the 1977 batch,
• He retired from the post of Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in June 2013.
• He also served as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Power.
•He served in various capacities in the districts of Sholapur, Kolhapur, Shindhudurg and Thane till 1983 after which he moved to the Central Government.

About Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC)
• Central Electricity Regulatory Commission is a statutory body functioning under section 76 of the Electricity Act 2003.
•It was initially constituted under the Electricity Regulatory Commissions Act, 1998 on 24 July 1998.

Main Functions of Central Electricity Regulatory Commission
• to regulate the tariff of generating companies owned or controlled by the Central Government
• to regulate the inter-State transmission of electricity
• to determine tariff for inter-State transmission of electricity
• to issue licenses to persons to function as transmission licensee and electricity trader with respect to their inter-State operations
• to adjudicate upon disputes involving generating companies or transmission licensee
• to specify Grid Code having regard to Grid Standards;
• to specify and enforce the standards with respect to quality, continuity and reliability of service by licensees;
• to fix the trading margin in the inter-State trading of electricity, if considered, necessary;
• to discharge such other functions as may be assigned under the Act.