Srinagar, Feb. 21 -- Electricity is the thread that binds modern life together, yet in Jammu and Kashmir it remains a fragile promise. The region holds an estimated hydropower potential of nearly 18,000 megawatts, but only a fraction, around 3,000 to 3,500 MW-has been tapped. This mismatch between potential and reality has left households grappling with outages, industries constrained by unreliable supply, and the economy tethered to external assistance. The irony is painful: rivers roar through valleys, but homes remain dim.

There is, however, a plan to change this trajectory, with new projects in the pipeline, generation capacity is expected to rise to nearly 7,000 MW in the coming years. Beyond that, detailed proposals for harnessing ...