Ranchi, June 19 (IANS) Union Minister for Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, on Friday reviewed the matters relating to the power sector and urban development schemes of Jharkhand in Ranchi.

The meeting was attended by Sudivya Kumar, Minister of Urban Development and Housing Department, Government of Jharkhand, along with senior officials from the State Government, Central Government and public sector power companies.

The meeting started with the Union Minister highlighting the key areas where the state’s power department could work on with a detailed action plan. Matters relating to the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) and the operational and financial parameters of the DISCOMs, resource adequacy and transmission infrastructure planning to meet future power demand were discussed.

He noted the high aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses in Jharkhand and urged the State to take concerted steps to bring these to sustainable levels.

The minister asked the State to make efforts in the direction of restructuring the debt liabilities of the State DISCOM. He highlighted the need for timely clearance of outstanding Government department dues and urged the State to put in place a robust mechanism for regular settlement, with particular focus on prepaid conversion of meters installed with Government consumers by August 31, 2026.

The need to saturate the installation of smart meters for high load consumers, including the commercial and industrial consumers, by August 31, 2026, and to expedite the installation for other categories of consumers was also taken up at the meeting.

The Union Minister further reviewed the status of resource adequacy and intra-State Transmission planning so as to meet the growing demand. He also reviewed the progress of on -grid electrification for Tribal households under Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA) and asked the State to expedite the pace of implementation.

In respect of progress under PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana and PM-KUSUM, the State was urged to accelerate implementation and meet targets under both schemes. It was also advised to saturate the rooftop installation on State Government buildings on a priority which would help in reducing the financial burden on the State budget due to reduced demand of power from the grid.

–IANS

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