Govt sanctions smart metering works covering 19.79 crore electricity consumers under RDSS
New Delhi, August 10
The government has sanctioned smart metering works covering 19.79 crore electricity consumers across the country under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme, the Ministry of Power told the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
In a written reply, Minister of State for Power Shripad Naik said the smart metering programme also covers 2.05 lakh feeders and 52.53 lakh distribution transformers along with the related digital ecosystem.
Projects worth Rs 1.31 lakh crore have been sanctioned for smart metering works under RDSS, while another Rs 1.53 lakh crore has been sanctioned for infrastructure aimed at reducing distribution losses.
The digitalisation works have been sanctioned across 28 states and 45 distribution utilities, according to the ministry.
The government has so far released Rs 47,124 crore under RDSS since FY2023, including Rs 2,733 crore towards smart metering works.
Apart from smart meters, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition and Distribution Management System works worth Rs 2,627 crore have been sanctioned across 394 towns.
Another Rs 3,999 crore of works have been sanctioned for digital systems including enterprise resource planning, unified billing solutions, geographic information system-based works and real-time data acquisition systems.
The government has also sanctioned Rs 8,608 crore for smart distribution works across seven cities. These include smart technology systems, GIS substations, monitoring the health of distribution transformers, undergrounding of electricity lines and modernisation of distribution infrastructure.
The ministry said the Centre has also initiated the India Energy Stack, which is aimed at creating a common digital framework for data exchange across the country's power sector.
For training and capacity building of distribution company personnel in digital systems, Rs 100.9 crore has been allocated under RDSS. Of this, Rs 23.36 crore had been utilised till July 2026, while 14,853 personnel had been trained.
Before RDSS, the Centre had supported power distribution digitalisation through schemes including the Integrated Power Development Scheme and the National Smart Grid Mission.
The RDSS was launched in July 2021 with the objective of improving the quality of power supply through a financially sustainable and operationally efficient distribution sector.
— ANI
Reader Comments
19.79 crore consumers is a huge number. But the real test will be in the implementation. Our local discom still sends paper bills, don't know when they'll switch to this digital system. Also hope they train the ground staff properly!
Impressive scale of investment. Rs 1.31 lakh crore for smart metering alone shows serious commitment. The India Energy Stack initiative sounds promising too - a common digital framework is exactly what's needed for data-driven grid management.
Good move but I'm skeptical. In our village, they installed smart meters last year but most of them are not working properly. Contractors did shoddy work. Govt needs to ensure quality control and accountability, otherwise it's just another paper scheme. 😐
This is the kind of infrastructure investment we need. Smart meters will help consumers track usage and reduce disputes. Also happy to see training for discom staff - Rs 100 crore for capacity building shows they're thinking beyond just hardware. 👌
Only Rs 47,124 crore released so far out of the total sanctioned amount. The real challenge is execution at state level. So many discoms are in financial trouble, hope this funding actually reaches the ground and doesn't get stuck in bureaucratic delays.
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