NEW DELHI. Union Power Minister Manohar Lal has clarified that prepaid electric smart meters are not compulsory for all consumers. Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour in Lok Sabha today, Mr Lal said that if consumers choose to switch to prepaid smart meters, it will benefit not only consumers but also the states and the utility companies. He said that several states have installed Smart Prepaid Meters.
The Minister also clarified that prepaid electric smart meters are not being imposed forcefully on any consumers, as it is optional. He said that wherever prepaid systems have been implemented, the losses of companies have been eliminated, and they have moved into profit. The Minister informed that currently the losses of power distribution companies have reached to nearly seven lakh crore rupees. He said, prepaid smart meters are being introduced to ensure proper bill collection.
