Haryana will begin smart metering works on the ground from August 31 after a review meeting chaired by Union Minister Manohar Lal. The Ministry of Power said the minister reviewed progress and urged the state to expedite the award of related works, with the state committing to start implementation on that date. The rollout will be phased and focus initially on government consumers and employees, followed by high end consumers with connected loads exceeding 10 kW.

The minister recommended a prepaid smart meter approach and suggested incentives to encourage voluntary conversion among consumers. He underlined that electricity is an economic good and that utilities should be run on sound commercial principles, including reducing power purchase costs, rationalising expenses and increasing revenue. Officials noted that Aggregate Technical and Commercial losses (AT&C losses) had improved consistently but were expected to be further reduced through targeted measures.

The meeting directed timely settlement of government department dues and subsidies through an automated payment mechanism and prioritised loss reduction works with time bound completion targets. It also reviewed resource adequacy and intra state transmission planning, with advice to resolve pending issues so that capacity addition keeps pace with rising electricity demand. Progress under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana was assessed and the state was asked to prepare a focused action plan to expand consumer enrolment under the scheme.

The review brought together Haryana Power Minister Anil Vij, senior state officials, representatives of the Ministry of Power and Central Public Sector Enterprises to examine progress under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme and the operational and financial performance of state distribution companies (DISCOMs). The minister indicated that sincere efforts would help make state DISCOMs financially viable and the Centre would continue to support the state. The state minister assured that Haryana would implement sanctioned works and take measures to improve overall performance of the power sector.