New Delhi, Jun 11 – RSS pracharak and former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar assumed the role of Union Power Minister in the Modi 3.0 government on Tuesday. Khattar replaces R K Singh, who lost his election from Arrah in Bihar.
After taking charge, Khattar met with the heads of public sector undertakings in the power sector and other top officials to understand the dynamics of the industry. He did not comment on his immediate plans or key challenges for the next 100 days in the power sector.
As Power Minister, Khattar will face issues such as high power demand and coal supply shortages affecting electricity producers nationwide. Power demand reached an all-time high of 250 GW in May this year, with projections estimating a peak of 260 GW during the summer. Many power plants currently maintain coal stocks below normative levels, requiring Khattar to coordinate closely with the coal and railways ministries to ensure adequate supply.
Despite a growing renewable energy sector exceeding 190 GW, coal-based thermal power remains the base load for the national grid.
Khattar won the Karnal constituency against Congress candidate Divyanshu Budhiraja in the latest general election. First elected as an MLA in 2014, he became Haryana’s Chief Minister the same year. In March 2024, his confidante Nayab Singh Saini replaced him.
Khattar, a long-time associate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, worked with him in the BJP during the 1990s and has nearly 40 years of experience as an RSS pracharak. Born in Nindana, Haryana, in 1954, his family relocated from Pakistan post-partition.
In 2014, Khattar became Haryana’s first non-Jat chief minister in nearly two decades. His tenure saw significant challenges, including the February 2016 Jat quota stir and the 2017 violence following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. His second term as CM was marked by criticism during the farmers’ protests against the now-repealed farm laws.
Khattar is credited with introducing pre-qualification conditions for panchayat election candidates, ensuring transparent recruitment, and launching the ‘Parivar Pehchan Patra’ scheme for unique family identity cards. He maintained cordial relations with the ally Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) until his tenure ended.
Khattar’s removal as Haryana CM led to the appointment of Nayab Saini, a decision Khattar claimed to have suggested to Modi over a year prior. Sworn into the new Union Cabinet on Sunday, Khattar begins his new role as a parliamentarian and Union Minister.
