CHANDIGARH:All India Power Engineers Federation is of the firm view that the finance minister's statement of providing smart meters to all the consumers is more of a policy statement than of budgetary requirement, said V K Gupta Spokesperson of the federation.
The union budget has allocated Rs 22, 000 crore to power and renewable sector and has urged state governments to implement smart meters for all the consumers in three years. Tpadahe finance minister has stated that the center will give a 15% subsidy and the state government will give 10 % subsidy for replacing existing meters.
A smart meter costs about Rs 3000 and there are 20 crore consumers in the country. Thus Discoms will need 60000 crores of the amount in the next three years to replace the meters, an impossible task with the precarious financial position of Discoms.
Discoms have not been able to provide meters on the tubewells because of financial constraints on how they will oblige the finance minister.
Punjab has not been able to provide meters on tube Wells despite regulatory commission, s observations