SKM tractor rally in Punjab against new electricity Bill
Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body of farmer unions, held tractor marches across Punjab on Monday (26 January 2026) demanding withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025 [S1].
Protest is part of a wider farmer mobilisation against Centre's agri-power reform push, echoing the 2020-21 farm laws agitation pattern — a recurring UPSC theme on federalism, farmer politics, and Centre-State friction over agriculture (a State List subject).
Core grievance: fear that the Bill enables privatisation of the power sector and threatens subsidised/affordable electricity for farmers [S2].
Ties multiple pending farmer demands into one agitation: MSP legal guarantee, Seeds Bill 2025 withdrawal, labour code repeal, MGNREGA restoration [S3].
2. Why in the News
On Monday, 26 January 2026, farmers under the SKM banner conducted tractor marches at several places in Punjab (reported by PTI, Hoshiarpur dateline, published in The Hindu's 27 January 2026 print edition) [S3].
Demonstrations demanded withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Seeds Bill 2025, repeal of labour codes, restoration of MGNREGA, and a legal guarantee for MSP [S3].
This followed a broader statewide protest campaign that began in December 2025 with dharnas at Deputy Commissioner offices (16 January) and tractor/motorcycle marches (28 December – 4 January) [S1].
3. Background & Evolution
SKM formed during the 2020-21 farm laws protests; became the primary platform for coordinated multi-state farmer agitation after the three farm laws were repealed in November 2021.
Electricity sector reform attempts have a long history — the Electricity Act, 2003 and subsequent amendment bills (2014, 2020, 2021 draft, now 2025) have repeatedly triggered farmer opposition over fears of subsidy withdrawal and privatisation of distribution.
Smart/chip-based prepaid meters rollout has been a specific flashpoint — SKM demanded halting their installation [S1].
SKM's protest escalated from localised dharnas (Jan 2026) to statewide tractor marches (Jan 2026) to broader statewide protests over fuel prices/MSP (June 2026), showing sustained multi-month agitation [S2][S4].
4. Core Static Facts
Item
Detail
Organising body
Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) — coalition of farmer, farm-labour, employee, student, youth, women's groups [S1]
Bill opposed
Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025
Other bills/demands bundled
Seeds Bill 2025 (withdrawal); Labour Codes (repeal); MGNREGA (restoration); MSP (legal guarantee) [S3]
MSP formula demanded
C2 + 50% (Swaminathan Commission formula) [S4]
State of protest
Punjab (statewide)
Key protest actions
Tractor marches, motorcycle marches, dharnas at Deputy Commissioner offices, memoranda to PM and Punjab CM [S1][S4]
Memoranda submitted to
PM Narendra Modi and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann via district administration [S4]
Parent legal framework
Electricity Act, 2003 (Union List/Concurrent List — Entry 38, List III)
5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis
Economic: SKM fears the amendment enables privatisation of power distribution, ending cross-subsidised/free agricultural electricity that underpins Punjab's paddy-wheat cropping economy [S2].
Social: Bundles multiple farmer welfare demands (MSP, MGNREGA, debt relief) — signals distress in the farm sector beyond just the electricity issue [S3].
Legal/Constitutional: Electricity falls under the Concurrent List (Entry 38), so Union amendments directly affect state-level power utilities (e.g., PSPCL in Punjab), triggering Centre-State contestation.
Administrative: Opposition specifically targets prepaid smart meters, reflecting on-ground implementation friction between digitisation reforms and subsidy delivery mechanisms [S1].
Governance/Ethical: Demand for MGNREGA "restoration" suggests perceived dilution/non-implementation, raising accountability questions in a centrally sponsored scheme.
Historical: Direct continuity with the 2020-21 farm laws protest playbook — repeal of laws perceived as pro-corporate/anti-subsidy.
6. Recent Developments (last 12-18 months)
28 Dec 2025 – 4 Jan 2026: SKM tractor and motorcycle marches across Punjab, including a motorcycle march in Kartarpur (29 Dec 2025) [S1].
16 Jan 2026: Dharnas held at Deputy Commissioner offices statewide [S1].
26 Jan 2026: Tractor marches at several places in Punjab, reported 27 Jan 2026 [S3].
June 2026: Fresh statewide SKM protests demanding fuel price rollback and legal MSP guarantee, alongside continued opposition to the Electricity Amendment Bill [S2][S4].
7. Prelims Hooks
Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) is the umbrella organisation leading protests against the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025 [S1].
SKM tractor marches against the Bill were held across Punjab on 26 January 2026 [S3].
SKM's five key demands: withdraw Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025; withdraw Seeds Bill 2025; repeal labour codes; restore MGNREGA; legal guarantee for MSP [S3].
SKM opposes chip-based/prepaid smart meters as part of electricity reform opposition [S1].
MSP demand is based on the C2+50% formula recommended by the Swaminathan Commission [S4].
Electricity falls under the Concurrent List (Entry 38, List III, Seventh Schedule).
The parent statute for electricity sector regulation is the Electricity Act, 2003.
SKM memoranda on demands were submitted to PM Modi and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann [S4].
SKM traces its origin to the 2020-21 agitation against the now-repealed farm laws.
SKM protests also demanded debt relief and crop-loss compensation for floods/hailstorms/unseasonal rain [S4].
8. Mains Relevance
GS-II: Government policies & interventions; issues arising from design/implementation of schemes; Centre-State relations (electricity as a Concurrent List subject).
GS-III: Agriculture — issues related to MSP, farm subsidies, PDS; infrastructure — energy (power sector reforms, privatisation debate).
Possible Mains question stems:
1. "Discuss the constitutional basis of Centre-State friction over electricity sector reforms in India, with reference to recent farmer protests against the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025." (GS-II)
2. "Examine the economic rationale and criticisms of privatising power distribution, particularly its impact on agricultural subsidies." (GS-III)
3. "Legal guarantee of MSP has been a recurring farmer demand since the repeal of farm laws. Critically analyse its feasibility and fiscal implications." (GS-III)
9. Related Topics to Study Next
Farm Laws 2020 (repealed 2021) — direct precedent for SKM-led agitation politics.
Electricity Act, 2003 and prior amendment attempts (2014, 2020, 2021 draft) — legislative history of the current Bill.
MGNREGA (2005) — cited for "restoration," useful for GS-II/III on rural employment schemes.
Seeds Bill 2025 — bundled demand, relevant to seed regulation and farmer rights (compare with Seeds Act 1966).
Labour Codes (4 codes, 2019-20) — repeatedly opposed by trade unions and farm bodies; useful comparative topic on Codes vs earlier labour laws.
Smart prepaid electricity meters — link to Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) and DISCOM reforms.
Federalism and Concurrent List subjects — constitutional angle for Centre-State disputes over agriculture-adjacent laws.
10. Common Errors / Trap Areas
Do not confuse SKM (Samyukta Kisan Morcha) with SKM (non-political) vs. SKM (Ambedkarite) — the movement split into factions post-2021; current Punjab protests are largely SKM (non-political) led.
Electricity is often wrongly placed under the State List — it is actually in the Concurrent List (Entry 38).
Do not conflate the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025 with the Electricity (Amendment) Act, 2003 (parent Act) — the 2025 Bill is a proposed amendment, not yet enacted per this protest context.
MSP legal guarantee demand is often wrongly attributed only to the 2020-21 farm laws protests — it persists as a live, unresolved demand into 2026.
Avoid assuming this is solely an "electricity issue" — the protest bundles five distinct demands (electricity, seeds, labour codes, MGNREGA, MSP).
11. Sources
[S1] Punjab Farmers Stage Massive Protests Against 2025 Electricity Amendment Bill — https://www.rozanaspokesman.com/farming/farmers-issues/291225/punjab-farmers-stage-massive-protests-against-2025-electricity-amendme.html — (tier: 4)
[S2] Morcha slams power amendment Bill, announces statewide agitation in Punjab — The Tribune — https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/electricityamendmentbill2025/morcha-slams-power-amendment-bill-announces-statewide-agitation-in-punjab — (tier: 4)
[S3] SKM tractor rally in Punjab against new electricity Bill — The Hindu (27 Jan 2026, print) — https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/2026-01-27/th_international/articleGFFFG9SQD-13254760.ece — (tier: 4)
[S4] SKM holds Statewide protests across Punjab, demands fuel price rollback and legal MSP guarantee — The North News — https://www.thenorthnews.in/skm-holds-statewide-protests-across-punjab-demands-fuel-price-rollback-and-legal-msp-guarantee/ — (tier: 4)