RANCHI — In a major push to stabilize regional energy grids and streamline civic welfare delivery, Union Minister for Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal, chaired a comprehensive review meeting with the Government of Jharkhand in Ranchi today.
The high-level session was co-attended by Jharkhand’s Minister of Urban Development and Housing Department, Shri Sudivya Kumar, alongside senior officials from the Ministry of Power, the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), and state utility boards.
Structural Reforms & Strict Deadlines for State DISCOMs
The primary focus of the energy review centered on correcting systemic operational and financial distress within Jharkhand’s power distribution companies (DISCOMs). The Union Minister flagged severe Aggregate Technical & Commercial (AT&C) losses alongside a persistent gap between the Average Cost of Supply and Average Revenue Realized (the ACS-ARR gap).
To address these financial shortfalls, the center has established hard timelines for state enforcement:
-
Debt Restructuring: The state was directed to draft an immediate action plan to restructure the heavy debt liabilities currently choking state DISCOMs.
-
Government Dues & Prepaid Transition (August 31, 2026): Minister Manohar Lal mandated a robust clearance mechanism for outstanding power bills across state government departments. A strict deadline of August 31, 2026, has been locked to convert all government consumers and public establishments to prepaid smart meters.
-
Commercial Smart Meter Saturation (August 31, 2026): High-load commercial and industrial (C&I) consumer segments must be completely saturated with smart metering systems by August 31, 2026, followed by a phased rollout for domestic consumers.
Acceleration of Central Welfare & Tribal Green Energy Schemes
The joint review mapped out infrastructure planning and resource adequacy to insulate Jharkhand against upcoming peak load demands, while aggressively pushing central green energy deployment:
-
Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA): The state was told to rapidly accelerate the pace of on-grid electrification for isolated tribal households.
-
PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana: The Center urged Jharkhand to fast-track the deployment of solar rooftops. In a dual-purpose directive, the state was advised to completely saturate state government buildings with rooftop solar installations on priority, reducing the state’s budget liabilities via clean self-generation.
-
Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) & PM-KUSUM: State execution units received strict targets to deploy sanctioned agricultural solar pumps and upgrade regional intra-state transmission substations.
Commitments to Mutual Execution
Union Minister Manohar Lal assured Jharkhand of continued financial, technical, and regulatory backing from New Delhi to secure the state’s overall urban and energy transformation.
Acknowledging the gaps, Jharkhand State Minister Shri Sudivya Kumar thanked the central delegation and assured that the state administration will deploy emergency field measures to expedite sanctioned projects and systematically correct the operational parameters of the local power sector.
