National Level AT&C Losses in Power Network down from 22.3% in 2020-21 to 16.4% in 2021-22 – EQ Mag
The Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy has informed Lok Sabha that the Government of India launched Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in July, 2021 with the objective of improving the quality and reliability of power supply to consumers through a financially sustainable and operationally efficient distribution Sector. Salient features of the scheme are as under:
- The scheme has an outlay of Rs.3,03,758 crore and estimated Government Budgetary Support from Central Government of Rs.97,631 crore.
- The scheme aims to reduce the AT&C losses to pan-India levels of 12-15% and ACS-ARR (Average Cost of Supply – Average Realizable Revenue) gap to zero by 2024-25.
- The scheme has a duration of 5 years (FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26). Sunset date of scheme will be 31.03.2026.
- The Scheme has two major components: Part ‘A’ – Financial support for Prepaid Smart Metering & System Metering and upgradation of the Distribution Infrastructure and Part ‘B’ – Training & Capacity Building and other Enabling & Supporting Activities.
- The release of funds under the scheme has been linked to Results and Reforms. The pre-qualifying criteria need to be mandatorily met with by the DISCOMs before they can be evaluated for release of funds under the scheme.
State/UT-wise details of works sanctioned under RDSS are as given below.
| Sl. No. | State/Discoms | Sanctioned cost for Smart metering works (Rs. Cr.) |
Sanctioned Cost of Loss Reduction works (Rs. Cr.) | Sanctioned GBS of Metering Works (Rs. Cr.) |
Sanctioned GBS Loss Reduction Works (Rs. Cr.) |
| 1 | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 53.56 | 462.01 | 12.25 | 415.81 |
| 2 | Andhra Pradesh | 4,127.85 | 9,276.66 | 815.40 | 5,566.00 |
| 3 | Arunachal Pradesh | 183.56 | 799.99 | 54.40 | 719.99 |
| 4 | Assam | 4,049.54 | 2,609.10 | 1,051.65 | 2,348.19 |
| 5 | Bihar | 2,021.21 | 7,081.06 | 412.33 | 4,248.63 |
| 6 | Chattisgarh | 4,105.31 | 3,597.55 | 804.43 | 2,158.53 |
| 7 | Delhi | 13.38 | 323.63 | 2.03 | 194.18 |
| 8 | Goa | 469.17 | 247.08 | 94.51 | 148.25 |
| 9 | Gujarat | 10,641.96 | 6,021.48 | 1,884.60 | 3,612.89 |
| 10 | Haryana | 4,966.62 | 3,158.43 | 909.36 | 1,895.06 |
| 11 | Himachal Pradesh | 1,788.49 | 1,774.90 | 466.23 | 1,597.41 |
| 12 | Jammu & Kashmir | 1,063.62 | 4,635.57 | 272.02 | 4,172.01 |
| 13 | Jharkhand | 858.02 | 3,262.27 | 190.50 | 1,957.36 |
| 14 | Kerala | 8,231.21 | 2,346.81 | 1,413.34 | 1,408.09 |
| 15 | Ladakh | – | 697.36 | 627.62 | |
| 16 | Madhya Pradesh | 8,768.98 | 9,403.43 | 1,482.10 | 5,642.06 |
| 17 | Maharashtra | 15,214.95 | 14,157.92 | 2,839.61 | 8,494.75 |
| 18 | Manipur | 121.16 | 400.98 | 38.14 | 360.88 |
| 19 | Meghalaya | 309.56 | 796.49 | 86.35 | 716.84 |
| 20 | Mizoram | 181.61 | 237.33 | 61.08 | 213.59 |
| 21 | Nagaland | 207.57 | 391.18 | 59.66 | 352.06 |
| 22 | Puducherry | 251.10 | 84.39 | 56.25 | 50.63 |
| 23 | Punjab | 5,768.50 | 3,873.37 | 959.80 | 2,324.02 |
| 24 | Rajasthan | 9,714.80 | 9,371.41 | 1,685.96 | 5,622.85 |
| 25 | Sikkim | 97.45 | 263.61 | 30.43 | 237.25 |
| 26 | Tamil Nadu | 19,235.36 | 9,066.27 | 3,398.45 | 5,439.76 |
| 27 | Tripura | 318.55 | 484.56 | 80.42 | 436.10 |
| 28 | Uttar Pradesh | 18,956.29 | 17,089.62 | 3,500.57 | 10,253.77 |
| 29 | Uttarakhand | 1,050.92 | 1,447.39 | 297.47 | 1,302.65 |
| 30 | West Bengal | 12,670.45 | 7,222.57 | 2,089.18 | 4,333.54 |
| Grand Total | 1,35,440.72 | 1,20,584.40 | 25,048.55 | 76,850.78 |
GBS: Government Budgetary Support
REC Limited and Power Finance Corporation Limited (PFC) have been appointed as the Nodal Agencies for the scheme and have been made responsible for facilitating the implementation of the scheme in the entire country.
The details of allocation for States/ UTs between the Nodal agencies are as given below.
States and UTs allocated to PFC
- Maharashtra
- Gujarat
- Andhra Pradesh
- Telangana
- Kerala
- Madhya Pradesh
- Uttarakhand
- Odisha
- Jharkhand
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Himachal Pradesh
- Chandigarh
- Delhi
- Puducherry
- Lakshadweep
As per the ‘Report on Performance of Power Utilities’ published annually by Power Finance Corporation Ltd. (PFC), AT&C losses for distribution utilities, since the inception of Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), i.e. from FY 2020-21 to FY 2021-22 is as under:
State/UT-wise and year-wise details of AT&C Losses are as given below.
- Assam
- Meghalaya
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Chhattisgarh
- J&K
- Ladakh
- Goa
- Tamil Nadu
- Karnataka
- Bihar
- Rajasthan
- Uttar Pradesh
- West Bengal
- Andaman Nicobar
- Sikkim
- Mizoram
- Manipur
- Nagaland
- Tripura
Under RDSS, financial assistance would be provided for segregation of agriculture feeders from mixed feeders where agriculture load is more than 30%. Thereafter, States/ DISCOMs would be solarizing these segregated feeders under various other schemes like PM KUSUM. States/DISCOMs are in the process of tendering and award of sanctioned works of segregation of agricultural feeders under RDSS.
State-wise details of smart meters sanctioned under RDSS are as given below.
RDSS envisages a Results Evaluation Framework (REF), incorporating performance against result parameters and trajectories for improvement. The REF has two components (i) Pre-qualifying criteria; and (ii) Result Evaluation Matrix, the details of which are given below.
Pre-qualifying Criteria to be mandatorily met by DISCOM for Further Evaluation under Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme
DISCOMs would publish quarterly un-audited accounts within 60 days of the end of each quarter during first two years of operation of the scheme (i.e. for FY 2021-22 and FY 2022-23) and thereafter audited quarterly accounts within 45 days from 3rd year onwards.
Further, DISCOMs would publish audited annual accounts by end of December of the following year during first two years of operation of the scheme (i.e. for FY 2021-22 and FY 2022-23) and thereafter audited annual accounts by end of September of the following year from 3rd year onwards.
DISCOMs will have ensured that no new Regulatory Assets have been created in latest tariff determination cycle.
State Government to ensure 100% payment of subsidy for the previous year and advance payment of subsidy up to current period in line with section 65 of EA2003 and wipe out the remaining subsidy amount by the end of the project period.
All Government Departments/ Attached Offices/ Local Bodies/ Autonomous Bodies/Boards/Corporations have made 100% payment of current electricity dues for the year under evaluation.
Progress commensurate to commitment in putting Govt. Offices on prepaid meters.
No. of days Payables to Creditors including Gencos for the year under evaluation is equal to or less than the projected trajectory as per results evaluation framework.
Tariff order for the current year in which evaluation is being done and true up of penultimate year has been issued and implemented w.e.f. 1st April of current FY.
Summary of Results Evaluation matrix for evaluation of DISCOM performance under Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme
Utilities clearing the pre-qualifying criteria would be eligible for evaluation against the result evaluation matrix, which would determine their eligibility for release of funds for a particular year. The result evaluation framework would be different for each DISCOM and would be fixed for each year depending on the cumulative performance as well as the annual performance.
The funds for a particular year will be released only if the Utility clears the pre-qualifying criteria and the total weighted score is more than 60 marks on the evaluation matrix.
This information has been given by the Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy Shri R. K. Singh, in a written reply to a question, in Lok Sabha on August 10, 2023.
