On the third day of the Bharat Electricity Summit 2026, a high-level Vendor Development Session titled “Advancing Make in India for Power Distribution” was successfully convened. The session was co-hosted by REC Limited and Power Finance Corporation, bringing together over 150 senior representatives from the Ministry of Power, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Central Electricity Authority, leading distribution utilities, Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers' Association, OEMs, vendors, suppliers, and industry associations. KPMG served as the Knowledge Partner for the session.

The session was chaired by Shashank Misra, Joint Secretary (Distribution), Ministry of Power, and commenced with welcome remarks by T S C Bosh, Director (Projects), REC Limited, who set the context for deliberations. Industry perspectives were presented by IEEMA, followed by insights from leading DISCOMs on best practices, including SCADA indigenization and the application of AI/ML in power distribution.

A panel discussion moderated with senior officials—Pranav Tayal (Director MoP), Saurav Kumar Shah (Executive Director PFC), and Prabhat Kumar Singh (Executive Director REC)—highlighted India’s preparedness to strengthen domestic manufacturing and supply chains. The discussion emphasized scaling proven DISCOM practices such as compact substations, planned underground cabling with GIS-based fault management, SCADA–DMS–OMS integration, and RT-DAS, while addressing critical gaps in import-dependent materials. The panel also underscored the need to reinforce standards, interoperability, and testing infrastructure to ensure reliability and resilience at scale.

The session concluded with closing remarks by Ravi Dhawan, Director (Distribution), Ministry of Power.

The Bharat Electricity Summit 2026 continues to serve as a pivotal platform for fostering collaboration among industry, government, and utilities, aligning efforts towards the vision of a Viksit Bharat 2047.