Now Reading: Power ministry asks states to speed up smart meter installation
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Power ministry asks states to speed up smart meter installation
The power ministry has directed states to accelerate smart meter installation, saying the mandatory rollout is not linked to prepaid or postpaid billing. Of 20.3 crore meters approved under RDSS since July…
The Story in Brief
The power ministry has directed states to accelerate smart meter installation, saying the mandatory rollout is not linked to prepaid or postpaid billing. Of 20.3 crore meters approved under RDSS since July 2021, only 5.7 crore were installed by June 30, though total functional meters exceed 7.2 crore. The initial March 2026 deadline was extended by two years.
The ministry said smart meters enable transparent billing and time-of-day tariffs to reduce bills, while utilities benefit from operational efficiency. Most states use postpaid billing; Uttar Pradesh scrapped prepaid after complaints. The ministry reiterated installation is mandatory regardless of billing mode.
The Indian Opinion
The government's push for smart meters is sensible, but past resistance from states and consumer complaints, especially against prepaid meters in Uttar Pradesh, show that trust remains fragile. One-sided narratives blaming either consumers or utilities miss the point: the technology works if implemented properly with safeguards. The test will be whether installation picks up in the next quarter and whether complaints about excessive billing fall. If not, the deadline extension alone will not solve the problem.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
