Bengaluru: After rolling out smart meters for temporary and new connections, the state govt is considering replacing the existing electricity meters with the new device after obtaining approval from the cabinet.Revealing the state’s wish to avail the benefits under the central govt’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), which mandates the installation of smart meters at every installation, energy minister KJ George said Wednesday that a proposal will be placed before the cabinet in the coming days.Karnataka is one of the two states that have not availed RDSS to date for the installation of smart meters. Even though the proposal to avail benefits under RDSS has been pending since 2021, the successive state govts have been non-committal as it would result in an additional burden on the consumers and state exchequer in the form of arrears from various stakeholders. Currently, barring Karnataka and Telangana, all states have been covered under the RDSS scheme.George explained that the deadline for the RDSS scheme is Dec, and the state is planning to avail its benefits.“If the cabinet approves the decision, Karnataka must mandatorily install smart meters in all installations,” the minister said.The Centre will extend a 15% subsidy for installing the smart meters and another 60% subsidy to improve the transmission infrastructure. With the subsidy, the cost of smart meters is likely to come down from Rs 5,000 to less than Rs 1,000.MSID:: 121934701 413 |