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The Consultative Committee of Members of Parliament for the Ministry of Power held a meeting in New Delhi on January 16, 2025, chaired by Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal. The meeting discussed the implementation of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy, along with other officials, including Shri Pankaj Agarwal, Secretary (Power), participated. Members praised the progress of the scheme and shared suggestions to improve power distribution. Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal highlighted the importance of the power sector in driving industrial growth and economic development. He noted that all census villages are now electrified, and efforts are focused on improving service quality for consumers. Over the last decade, power availability in urban areas has risen from 22 hours to 23.4 hours, while rural areas have seen an increase from 12.5 hours to 22.4 hours. The minister emphasized the benefits of smart meters, which reduce billing errors, enhance energy efficiency, and provide convenience for consumers while helping distribution companies lower losses and optimize costs. The Ministry of Power, in collaboration with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, has simplified rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar scheme. Changes include waiving technical feasibility studies for connections up to 10 kW and enabling deemed load enhancement for such systems. The minister urged state governments to promote rooftop solar for consumer benefit. Shri Shripad Yesso Naik stressed the role of RDSS in improving service quality and ensuring financial stability for distribution companies. He called for the timely implementation of projects under the scheme to achieve its objectives. Members of the committee acknowledged the positive impact of smart meters in reducing losses and praised efforts to improve power distribution infrastructure. The minister instructed officials to incorporate the committee’s suggestions to ensure a stable power supply for consumers. The Government of India launched RDSS with a budget of ?3.03 lakh crore, including ?97,631 crore as central financial support. The scheme aims to improve the quality and reliability of electricity supply, reduce losses, and close the gap between average cost and revenue. Spanning five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26, RDSS links fund releases to reforms and results. Distribution utilities and state power departments are eligible for support under the scheme, which focuses on smart metering and infrastructure upgrades. Smart metering projects under RDSS cover 19.79 crore consumer meters, 52.53 lakh distribution transformer meters, and 2.1 lakh feeder meters. Of these, about 11.5 crore consumer meters, 45 lakh transformer meters, and 1.7 lakh feeder meters are currently being installed. In Assam, smart meters have enabled 44% of consumers to save 50 units per month, reducing losses for distribution companies. Similar benefits have been reported in Bihar. The strategy for rolling out prepaid smart meters prioritizes government establishments, followed by commercial, industrial, and high-load consumers. Rebates are being offered to consumers shifting to smart prepaid meters. Progress under RDSS includes a national reduction in aggregate technical and commercial losses from 22.32% in FY21 to 15.37% in FY23. The gap between average cost and revenue has also declined from ?0.69 per kWh in FY21 to ?0.45 per kWh in FY23. Most utilities are now publishing annual accounts and meeting subsidy and dues payments on time, with no new regulatory assets being created. |
