SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir’s government departments and Central government establishments owe Rs 4,385.30 crore in outstanding electricity dues, while the Union Territory government will continue to bear more than Rs 4,500 crore in power subsidies despite a 6.83 per cent tariff hike, according to a Power Development Department (PDD) reply tabled in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
The outstanding dues, covering various departments and Central government agencies, were disclosed in a department-wise annexure submitted in response to a question by Sajad Gani Lone. The government also said the recent tariff revision, notified by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC), is expected to generate an additional Rs 251 crore for distribution companies (DISCOMs) during 2026–27.
The department said the 6.83 per cent increase was primarily intended to bridge the gap between the cost of electricity supply, including transmission and distribution charges and operation and maintenance expenses, and revenue realised under the existing tariff. The revision was described as long overdue and necessary to meet the annual revenue requirement of the DISCOMs.
Despite the hike, the government said it would have to bear more than Rs 4,500 crore as subsidy to meet the power purchase costs of the distribution companies.
The department-wise breakup shows that the Public Health Engineering Department accounts for the largest share of outstanding power dues at Rs 1,476.11 crore, followed by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department at Rs 594.25 crore. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) owes Rs 344.30 crore, while the Home Department has outstanding dues of Rs 297.93 crore and municipalities owe Rs 262.75 crore.
Among other major defaulters listed in the annexure, the Army owes Rs 212.75 crore, the Revenue and Relief Department Rs 170.60 crore, the Housing and Urban Development Department Rs 166.40 crore and the PDD itself Rs 123.73 crore. The Health and Medical Education Department has outstanding dues of Rs 100.19 crore, while the Military Engineering Services (MES) owes Rs 89.50 crore.
The annexure also lists dues against a wide range of other UT departments, public-sector entities and Central government establishments, including tourism, education, railways, BSF, the Border Roads Organisation’s GREF, and various development authorities.
The government noted that the Rs 44.83 crore shown under the “General” category comprises miscellaneous UT and Central government departments being billed under relevant category rate codes. Corresponding internal departmental codes are yet to be applied for billing purposes by the concerned subdivisions.
Kashmir domestic power revenue crosses Rs 1,455 crore in 2025–26
The PDD’s figures show that revenue realised from domestic electricity consumers in Kashmir Valley increased to Rs 1,455.90 crore in 2025–26, up from Rs 1,238.07 crore in 2024–25.
Of the Rs 1,455.90 crore collected in 2025–26, Rs 860.29 crore came from metered consumers and Rs 595.61 crore from flat-rate consumers. In the preceding financial year, metered consumers contributed Rs 511.25 crore, while Rs 726.82 crore was realised from non-metered, flat-rate consumers.
During the current financial year, 2026–27, domestic power revenue in Kashmir Valley stood at Rs 547.79 crore up to August. This comprised Rs 383.08 crore from metered consumers and Rs 164.71 crore from flat-rate consumers, according to the figures furnished by the department in its Assembly reply.
The figures reflect collections from domestic consumers in the Kashmir Valley and are separate from the additional Rs 251 crore in revenue the government anticipates from the revised tariff across the DISCOMs during 2026–27.
200 units of free electricity linked to rooftop solar scheme
On the commitment to provide 200 units of free electricity to eligible households, the government said the benefit for Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households is being addressed through a Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO)-based rooftop solar scheme under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.
Under the proposed arrangement, 2-kW rooftop solar systems will be installed for eligible households. The scheme is currently under implementation, but the tendering process is still being evaluated, the department said.
Execution will begin after the contract is awarded to the successful bidder. Eligible households will start receiving the benefit of 200 units of free electricity once the rooftop solar systems are commissioned.
The reply did not specify a beneficiary count or provide a commitment on retrospective compensation for the period before the scheme becomes operational. Instead, it stated that the benefit would commence upon commissioning of the systems.
KPDCL installs 5.73 lakh smart meters since October 2024
The Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) has installed 5,73,955 smart meters since October 2024, according to the month-wise data provided in Annexure B-2 of the Assembly reply.
No smart meters were installed in October or November 2024, while 17 installations were recorded in December that year. The pace of installation picked up in 2025, with 6,833 meters installed in January and 17,505 in March.
The monthly installation count rose to 34,077 in October 2025 and 41,772 in December 2025. In 2026, KPDCL recorded 43,420 installations in January, 46,151 in February and 54,061 in April, the highest monthly figure in the period covered by the annexure.
The corporation installed 46,294 smart meters in May and 45,039 in June 2026, followed by 37,719 in July and 31,282 in August. A further 6,424 installations were recorded in September 2026 in the data furnished by the department.
The figures were submitted by the Power Development Department in response to Lone’s Assembly question on power tariffs, outstanding dues, the proposed free electricity scheme and smart metering.
