Energy Minister stresses on educating people on smart meters
Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar speaking at the review meeting with the APEPDCL officials in Visakhapatnam on Monday
Visakhapatnam: Given the misinformation surrounding smart meters, Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar underscored the need to raise public awareness about smart electricity meters.
He mentioned that smart meters were not installed for agricultural connections in Andhra Pradesh, affirming that the rollout is restricted solely to industrial and commercial consumers. He directed the DISCOMs to proactively educate people on the smart meter policy and dispelling misinformation or apprehensions surrounding it.
On Monday, a comprehensive review meeting to assess power supply within the APEPDCL jurisdiction was led by Ravi Kumar in the presence of APEPDCL CMD Prudhvi Tej Immadi. Officials reported that the power supply is well aligned with demand, and stressed that in nine out of eleven agriculture-focused districts, nine hours of continuous electricity is being reliably supplied to farming consumers.
The Minister mentioned that misconceptions circulating on social media must be addressed through structured outreach efforts. He called on officials to engage directly with consumers, provide accurate information on where and why smart meters are being deployed, ensuring that any doubts could be resolved before installation.
Addressing infrastructure concerns, the minister expressed concern about supply disruptions and instructed officers to proactively tackle low voltage issues. He inquired about the status of the RDSS (Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme) works, and directed that local contractors be engaged to accelerate project execution. The minister also reminded officials that central funding for phase II of RDSS will be sanctioned only after successful completion of phase I.
Ravi Kumar reiterated that no smart meters are being introduced in the agricultural sector, reaffirming that installations are restricted to industrial and commercial consumers only. He acknowledged the spread of false rumours on social media regarding smart meters and firmly instructed officials to launch public education efforts to dispel such misconceptions. He said that smart meters should be installed after receiving affirmative consumer feedback.
Officials also briefed the Energy Minister on the progress of the PM Surya Ghar scheme noting that Eluru leads in its implementation, followed by Visakhapatnam, West Godavari, and East Godavari.
Along with the APEPDCL CMD, the review meeting was attended by directors, CGMs, and senior officials.