Hyderabad: Officials and power sector experts said the Cabinet decision on Saturday to join the Centre’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), could modernise the state’s electricity network and reduce distribution losses, provided the rollout was handled well. The decision will entail distribution companies (discoms) installing pre-paid smart meters for all consumers except those powering agricultural activities,
“RDSS can strengthen distribution infrastructure, improve billing accuracy, curb power theft and allow utilities to monitor demand more closely,” according to former power utility senior official L. Ramesh Kumar. He added that smart meters would give consumers near real-time visibility of their usage and could foster energy-saving behaviour.
Analysts cautioned that the benefits depend on an orderly and transparent implementation. The state must invest in consumer awareness, data-management systems and consistent installation and testing standards to avoid confusion and resistance. Key concerns include consumer understanding of prepaid billing, fears about tariff changes, and the logistics of transitioning households from conventional meters.
For discoms, the scheme promises improved financial health through loss reduction and stronger revenue collection. For consumers, tangible gains would be like lower bills, fewer outages and clearer billing and this would materialise only if the deployment is technically sound and backed by an effective grievance-redressal mechanism.
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