SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has installed more than 4.90 lakh smart meters under the Centre’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) as part of efforts to modernise the power distribution network, improve billing efficiency and reduce technical and commercial losses, the Government of India informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
Smart Meters; Representational Image
Replying to an unstarred question, Minister of State for Power Shripad Naik said smart metering works in the Union Territory have been sanctioned for a total of 14,97,690 meters, covering consumers, distribution transformers and feeders.
Of these, 4,90,239 meters have been installed as on December 31, 2025. This includes 4,73,331 consumer smart meters against a sanctioned target of 14,07,045. In addition, 15,480 distribution transformer meters have been installed out of 88,037 sanctioned, while 1,428 feeder meters have been put in place against a target of 2,608.
The installations form part of the nationwide RDSS programme launched in July 2021 to improve the operational efficiency and financial sustainability of distribution utilities and ensure a reliable power supply.
Nationally, smart metering works have been sanctioned for 19.79 crore consumers, 52.53 lakh distribution transformers and 2.05 lakh feeders. As of the end of December 2025, 3.90 crore smart meters had been installed under RDSS, while total installations across all schemes stood at 5.28 crore.
The government said prepaid smart metering is expected to strengthen the finances of distribution companies by enabling advance revenue collection, improving billing and collection efficiency, reducing receivables and lowering working capital requirements.
These reforms, along with other measures undertaken by states and utilities, have helped bring down Aggregate Technical and Commercial (ATC) losses across the country from 21.91 per cent in 2020-21 to 15.04 per cent in 2024-25.
For consumers, the smart meters provide near real-time monitoring of electricity consumption through mobile applications, allowing users to track usage, recharge balances, receive low-balance alerts and access historical consumption data. According to feedback collected by nodal agencies REC Ltd and PFC Ltd, a substantial number of users reported convenience in app-based recharge and monitoring features.
On data protection, the Ministry said the standard bidding documents for RDSS mandate safeguards such as secure communication systems, cloud security requirements, cyber incident management protocols and compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act. A dedicated Computer Security Incident Response Team for the power sector (CSIRT-Power) has also been established to support utilities in handling cyber threats.
To increase acceptance of prepaid smart meters, distribution utilities are conducting awareness drives, including pamphlet distribution, banners at public locations, loudspeaker announcements, audio campaigns in local languages, workshops and social media outreach to inform consumers about benefits and usage.