Union power minister flags misinformation on smart meters, calls for consumer education

NEW DELHI: Flagging the widespread misconceptions about smart electricity meters among consumers, Union power minister Manohar Lal on Sunday urged power distribution companies to run a coordinated campaign to counter misinformation.“Farmers plan to hold a nationwide demonstration on Monday, demanding that the clause related to smart meters in the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, be scrapped. They are not aware what smart meters are or what impact they will have, yet believe they are harmful. Moreover, they don’t even have to pay the electricity bills because the state governments give the subsidy,” Lal said. He added that both the govt and discoms need to actively step in and explain the facts.Farmers held protests against the bill by blocking railway tracks across 19 districts of Punjab on Friday.Drawing a parallel with the initial resistance to electronic meters, Lal said only a fraction of consumers today understand the benefits of smart meters, making large-scale awareness and training essential to prevent fear and confusion from spreading.As per the government, the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, aims to transform the existing market structure by rationalising cross-subsidy, promoting cost-reflective tariffs, and enabling direct procurement of power by industrial users.

It seeks to dismantle longstanding barriers to India’s manufacturing competitiveness, making industrial power more affordable, reliable and responsive to market demands, while at the same time protecting subsidised tariffs for farmers and other eligible consumers.

The bill is likely to be brought to Parliament in the ongoing winter session.Installation of smart metres is part of the Centre’s revamped distribution sector scheme, which aims to modernise the power distribution infrastructure, reduce commercial losses and improve billing efficiency.

Of a total target of 25 crore, nearly 4.8 crore prepaid smart meters have been installed across the country so far.The minister was speaking at the closing session of a national conference on the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the power distribution sector, organised by the Union ministry of power at Bharat Mandapam. The two-day conference showcased smart meter data analytics, integrated IT/OT systems and smart home automation use cases aimed at improving operational efficiency and consumer satisfaction across discoms.Touching on the growing influence of AI across sectors, Lal expressed a mix of optimism and caution. “Innovation brings happiness, but AI also creates doubts. We should not let our natural thinking power decline,” he said. While noting that India’s power sector has made remarkable progress over the past century, he stressed the need to keep moving forward with scientific thinking, efficiency and public awareness.

“We must keep moving forward, resolving the challenges that come in the way,” he added.Lal also underlined India’s progress toward the target of 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030, but cautioned that fossil fuels cannot be phased out abruptly. Coal, he said, will continue to play a role in power generation until renewable sources become fully stable.