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| Power Ministry: This Decision Will Give Relief To More Than Three Crore Electricity Consumers, Energy Ministry Gave A Big Gift |
Power Ministry: This Decision Will Give Relief To More Than Three Crore Electricity Consumers, Energy Ministry Gave A Big Gift
Now Power Companies Will Not Be Able To Make Electricity Expensive To Recover The Cost Of Smart Prepaid Meters. Instead Of Passing The Cost Of The Meter On To The Electricity Consumers, The Companies Themselves Will Have To Bear It. In This Regard, The Union Energy Ministry Has Written A Letter To The Electricity Regulatory Commission Of The States.
The Decision Of The Center Will Provide Relief To More Than Three Crore Electricity Consumers Of The State. Electricity Rates Will Not Be Increased In Lieu Of Approximately Three Crore Meters Being Purchased By The Companies For Approximately Rs 25 Thousand Crores.
Companies Get Profit Of Rs 18 To 40 Per Meter
The Energy Ministry Has Said That Under The Self-Reliant Scheme, The Center Will Give A Grant Of Rs 900 To 1350 Per Meter To The Companies. Before This Instruction From The Centre, The Electricity Companies Were Preparing To Recover The Meter Charges From The Consumers. The Energy Ministry Has Said That The Power Companies Are Getting A Profit Of Rs 18 To 40 Per Meter From The Smart Prepaid Meters Installed In The State.
The Then Chairman Of The Regulatory Commission Had Protested
It Is Noteworthy That the Uttar Pradesh State Electricity Consumer Council Was Continuously Demanding That The Burden Of the Cost Of Smart Pre-Paid Meters Should Not Be Passed On to The Consumers. Council Chairman Awadhesh Verma Had Also Raised This Issue Before The Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Agreeing with the Council's Demand, The Then Chairman Of The Regulatory Commission, Rp Singh, Opposed The Decision To pass the Cost Of Smart Meters On Consumers At Every Level. He Had Suggested At A High Level To Resolve This Issue Under A Self-Reliant Scheme.
Union Energy Ministry Took The Matter Seriously
It Is Believed That On Singh's Suggestion, The Union Energy Ministry Has Taken The Matter Seriously And Has Now Issued Instructions That Power Companies Should Compensate The Expenses Of Meters By Increasing The Efficiency Of Electricity Revenue Collection Under The Self-Reliant Scheme. Do Not Impose Any Additional Expense On Consumers In Lieu Of Smart Prepaid Meters.
It Is Noteworthy That While The Price Of Single Phase Smart Prepaid Meter Is Around Rs 7-8 Thousand, That Of a Three-Phase Is Rs 10-11 Thousand. Till Now Only About 12 Lakh Smart Meters Have Been Installed In The State.