India needs many more generating plants to keep up with exploding demand for electricity, but the distribution system is so corrupt that investors are reluctant to put money in new plants.
Today blackouts in northern India spread to the eastern states, affecting half of the country's 1.2 billion people. Many office buildings are running on generators; More than a hundred trains were stranded in the summertime heat.
It wasn't long ago that many thought India's growth rates could surpass those of its long-time rival, China. But China retains the upper hand in that relationship, thanks in part to its exports.