Union Minister Manohar Lal Reviews Madhya Pradesh Power Sector, Pushes Smart Metering & Capacity Expansion

Union Minister for Power and Housing & Urban Affairs Manohar Lal reviewed the performance and future roadmap of Madhya Pradesh's power sector, with a focus on distribution reforms, smart metering, resource adequacy and renewable energy adoption.

The review meeting was attended by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, State Power Minister Pradyumna Singh Tomar, Urban Development and Housing Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, and senior officials from the state government, the Ministry of Power and central public sector power companies.

During the meeting, the Union Minister reviewed the implementation of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) and assessed the operational and financial performance of the state's distribution companies (DISCOMs). He stressed the need for timely payment of subsidies and settlement of dues owed by government departments within the same financial year to improve the financial health of utilities.

A major focus of the review was the progress of smart metering. Manohar Lal directed the state to expedite the installation of smart meters across government establishments, urban local bodies and commercial and industrial consumers, with phased conversion to prepaid metering. He also emphasised improving billing efficiency through measures such as metering all agricultural feeders.

The Union Minister reviewed the state's resource adequacy plans, including power generation, grid infrastructure and energy storage requirements, and advised Madhya Pradesh to secure additional power capacity to meet rising electricity demand in the coming years.

Progress under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana was also reviewed, with the state urged to accelerate implementation and achieve its targets under the rooftop solar programme. On the PM-KUSUM scheme, the Minister encouraged wider adoption to reduce the burden of agricultural power subsidies.

He also highlighted the importance of identifying suitable locations for future nuclear power projects under the SHANTI Act framework and called for faster progress in this area.

Manohar Lal said that sustained reforms and efficient implementation of power sector programmes would help improve the financial viability of DISCOMs and make Madhya Pradesh's power sector more self-reliant. He assured the state of continued support from the Central Government for strengthening power infrastructure and improving service delivery.

The Madhya Pradesh government assured the Union Minister that necessary steps would be taken to expedite the implementation of ongoing projects and enhance the overall performance of the state's power sector.