The four-day event on "Energising India's Future: Strategy for 21st Century" will focus on the progress made in the power sector and the options available for the future.

Pandit said implementation of power sector reforms, which had a slow start, could now be accelerated. At present, around 11 states have set up state-level electricity regulatory commission and by the end of current fiscal all the states are likely to have these commissions in place, he said.

This apart, unbundling of the state electricity board will also take place to create three profit centres including power generation, transmission and distribution. The centre is also pursuing plans of setting up national grid that can also trade power from the neighboring countries, Panditsaid.

Several policy initiatives have been taken in the past to infuse competition in the sector and private sector participation in all three areas -- generation, transmission and distribution -- has been permitted. Addressing the conference, National Thermal Power Corporation chairman and managing director Rajendra Singh said: "Infrastructure sector requires a longer plan period. Considering the long gestation period and the large capital requirement, the plan period for these projects should be more than five years."