SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has installed 9,70,776 smart meters against 14,97,690 sanctioned under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) as of June 30, 2026, achieving about 64.8 per cent of its sanctioned target, according to the Union Ministry of Power.
The data, presented by Minister of State for Power Shripad Naik in a written reply to Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 950 on Monday, show that the Union Territory has installed 9,36,905 consumer meters against 14,07,045 sanctioned, along with 32,419 distribution transformer (DT) meters against 88,037 sanctioned and 1,452 feeder meters against 2,608 sanctioned.
Jammu and Kashmir’s overall installation rate of about 64.8 per cent is above the national RDSS average of around 28.2 per cent, based on 5,73,31,930 meters installed against 20,33,88,297 sanctioned across the country. Its consumer-meter installation rate of about 66.6 per cent is also substantially higher than the national rate of around 27.9 per cent.
Among the States and Union Territories listed in the annexure, Jammu and Kashmir is among the better-performing regions in terms of the proportion of sanctioned RDSS smart meters installed. Its 9.71 lakh installations are, however, below the absolute numbers recorded in larger States such as Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.
The Ministry of Power said the Government launched the RDSS in July 2021 to improve the quality and reliability of electricity supply through a financially sustainable and operationally efficient distribution sector. Smart metering of consumers, distribution transformers and feeders is a key intervention under the scheme.
At the national level, the Centre has sanctioned smart metering works covering 19.79 crore consumers, 52.53 lakh distribution transformers and 2.05 lakh feeders, amounting to 20.33 crore smart meters. As of June 30, 2026, 5.73 crore meters had been installed under RDSS, comprising 5.53 crore consumer meters, 18.50 lakh DT meters and 1.85 lakh feeder meters. Including installations undertaken by States under their own plans and other schemes, the total number of smart meters installed across the country stood at 7.24 crore.
The highest installation numbers under RDSS were recorded in Maharashtra at 1,29,73,051, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 97,53,753, Rajasthan at 47,58,801 and Madhya Pradesh at 41,90,181. By contrast, several States had very low or no consumer-meter installations against sanctioned targets, including Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Goa, according to the annexure.
The Centre said the initial implementation of smart metering faced challenges, including delays in tendering and awarding works, inadequate consumer engagement and difficulties in integrating smart metering systems with other digital systems used by distribution utilities. It said steps had since been taken to address these issues and the pace of installation had increased. The sunset date of the RDSS is March 31, 2028.
On complaints concerning inaccurate billing, excessive charges, technical failures and faulty readings, the Ministry said electricity supply and distribution are matters under the respective State Governments and distribution utilities. Such complaints, including those involving smart meters, are handled by the concerned utilities under the guidance of State Electricity Regulatory Commissions and State Governments.
The Government said utilities have internal grievance-redressal mechanisms, while a multi-tier system of Consumer Grievance Redressal Forums (CGRFs) has been established under the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020. Consumers dissatisfied with the resolution provided by a utility can approach the CGRF and subsequently the Electricity Ombudsman.
To improve transparency and consumer confidence, the Centre said smart meters must comply with relevant technical and quality standards under Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification. It has also advised random installation of check meters to verify smart-meter readings and made check meters mandatory where consumers raise complaints.
Other measures include restrictions on imposing penalties based on maximum demand recorded by smart meters, mechanisms to recover past arrears through easy instalments, bill rebates to encourage prepaid meter installation, mobile applications for near-real-time consumption monitoring, small-denomination recharges, low-balance and emergency-credit alerts, multiple recharge options and consumer feedback and complaint-resolution mechanisms.
The Ministry also said distribution utilities and Advanced Metering Infrastructure Service Providers conduct consumer-awareness programmes through pamphlets, banners, awareness canopies, audio messages in local languages and social media outreach. Installation of smart meters in government establishments and among commercial, industrial and high-load consumers is being prioritised to demonstrate their benefits to other consumers.
