Power sector reforms in many states of India brought about a steep rise in the power tariff, because of the removal of the supply of electricity at the subsidised rates. This badly affected the workers employed in small industries. Citing an example of powerloom textile industry in Andhra Pradesh. As the wages in this industry were linked to the production of cloth, power-cut would definitely reduce the wages of the weavers. The outcome was that the workers were hit hard twice (tariff hike and the fall in wages). All this led to an acute crisis in the livelihood of weavers, who now felt so dejected that fifty power loom weavers committed suicide in town of Siricilla in Andhra Pradesh.