Reportedly, the central government has approved sanction of Rs 1.62 trillion proposals from 13 states/union territoriesunder the result-oriented Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).
Of this, around Rs 880 billion has been earmarked for smart–metering and around Rs 750 billion for infrastructure upgradation toward loss reduction efforts. The top seven states account for over 87 per cent of the approvals in value terms led by Uttar Pradesh (Rs 357.02 billion), Tamil Nadu (Rs 283.01 billion), Rajasthan (Rs 186.27 billion), Madhya Pradesh (Rs 181.72 billion), Gujarat (Rs 165.59 billion), Andhra Pradesh (Rs 134.05 billion) and Kerala (Rs 105.78 billion).The money will be disbursed over the next five years. The scheme aims to enhance operational efficiency and financial health of power distribution companies by 2025-26. At Rs 192.35 billion Tamil Nadu got the highest allocation for smart metering, followed by Uttar Pradesh at Rs 189.56 billion. Uttar Pradesh received the highest Rs 167.46 billion allocation for infrastructure upgradation followed by Rs 94.03 billion to Madhya Pradesh. The other states/union territories include Assam, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Uttarakhand.