SRINAGAR: As many as 1,72,073 Antyodaya Anna Yojana households have been verified across Jammu and Kashmir to receive 200 units of free electricity per month, the government informed the Assembly, indicating that the proposal for extending the benefit is at the final stage of approval.
The figures were placed before the House as supplementary information to Starred A.Q. No. 465 raised by Balwant Singh Mankotia. The Power Development Department stated that 94,740 AAY households fall under the jurisdiction of the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited and 77,333 under the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited, taking the total to 1,72,073 verified beneficiaries.
The disclosure comes alongside earlier data shared by the department showing that 10,876 daily wagers are currently engaged across the three power utilities — KPDCL, JPDCL and the Jammu and Kashmir Power Transmission Corporation Limited — even as the government maintains that regularisation is an ongoing process subject to eligibility and Board approvals.
On infrastructure strengthening under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme in Udhampur district, the government said loss-reduction works involving improvement of 11 KV and LT lines and augmentation of distribution transformers were initially sanctioned at Rs 193.49 crore. However, the tender could not be finalised after the discovered price was found to be 37 per cent higher than the sanctioned estimate. The Ministry of Power subsequently revised the sanctioned cost to Rs 212.31 crore for the Udhampur package.
The turnkey contract for the works has been awarded to a private contractor at a cost of Rs 181.52 crore, with the letter of award issued on September 30, 2025. The government informed the House that the project covers 69 feeders in the Udhampur division, of which survey work has been conducted on 59 feeders and completed on 53.
Despite this, the financial progress of the project remains at zero per cent as no funds have yet been released. Physical progress so far is limited to surveys and partial receipt of materials. Out of 19,060 poles required, 1,850 have been received; of 1,783 kilometres of conductor, 700 kilometres have arrived. No transformers, HT XLPE cable or capacitor banks have been received so far, and only 350 kilometres of AB cable have been supplied.
