Though the Indian Power Sector has achieved substantial growth during the post-independence era, the sector has been ailing from serious functional problems during the past few decades. The major problems plaguing India's electricity sector stem from the fact that the SEBs were financially insolvent. The heavy losses of the average state utility were the result of rampant theft in the sector, as well as financially unsustainable subsidies given out in the rural areas. Offering electricity at very low costs or free to agricultural producers, and losing revenue to theft & uncollected bills, the SEBs could not pay for the electricity they provide. Furthermore, the state utilities had no cash to invest in making needed improvement, thus, the possibility for any state-led infrastructural development in the electricity sector was dim.