Power Grid Corporation of India is manned by highly competant and Tech Savvy Engineers and to think that Hand operated breakers were installed is to fool one self.Electrical system in States are being managed by the State govt utilities who often appoint Administrative officers and use the Electricity as a tool to get votes etc. These officers are having no or little knowledge of Technical or even managerial side of essentially a technical organixzation and over and above this their plitical bosses used them as a lever to cater to the electrorate.Then the Qualifications of the Energy Minister either in higher level or at lower level. These fellows unlike in US poltics are devoid of any connection or knowkledge  to energy sector.

In a nut shell the grid failure can be  traced to gross mismanagment at state level and politicakl interference at all levels of the power sector. For this new laws and rules need to be framed to get ris of this interference and mismanagement