Power cuts and diesel limits squeeze India's small businesses
India's small businesses are having a rough time right now: Frequent power cuts and new diesel limits are making it tough to keep the lights on.
Factory owners say daily outages disrupt work, and restarting everything just adds to their costs.
As Neeraj Kedia from Chakradhar Chemicals puts it, these interruptions strain their budgets.
MSMEs limited to 200L retail diesel
Since June 11, 2026, MSMEs can only buy up to 200-liter of diesel per day at retail rates, which are cheaper than industrial prices.
This cap means running backup generators isn't always an option.
Industry groups are asking the government for some relief, and an expert has suggested solar power as a future fix, but for now, rising energy costs and supply issues are putting real pressure on these businesses.