Lok Sabha Question No. 2203 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-12
Subject: Irregular Power Supply in Rural/Tribal Areas
Ministry: POWER
Asked by: Smt. Anita Nagarsingh Chouhan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF POWER

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2203 ANSWERED ON 12.02.2026

## IRREGULAR POWER SUPPLY IN RURAL/TRIBAL AREAS

†2203. SMT. ANITA NAGARSINGH CHOUHAN:

Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that electricity supply is irregular in many rural and  tribal-dominated  areas  of  Parliamentary  Constituency  No.  24-Ratlam-JhabuaAlirajpur and that the expected benefits of smart meters, advanced distribution systems and grid modernisation are not being adequately realised and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has approved any project under the National Smart Grid Mission (NSGM) in the said Parliamentary Constituency and if so, the details of approved amount and the present status of implementation thereof, project-wise;
- (c) whether the Government  proposes to implement  a special  action  plan  in  this region for installation of smart meters, reduction of line losses and better integration of renewable energy, if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) if  not,  the  reasons  therefor  along  with  the  steps  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the Government to accord priority to this Parliamentary Constituency in future?

## A N S W E R

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF POWER

(SHRI SHRIPAD NAIK)

(a) to (d) : Electricity being a concurrent subject, supply and distribution of electricity to consumers in all areas, is within the purview of the respective State Government/ distribution utility. Government of India (GoI) is supplementing the efforts of the States under the ongoing Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) by providing financial assistance to strengthen the distribution infrastructure to help them reduce the line losses and achieve the objective of providing quality and reliable supply of power to all consumers.

Under RDSS, projects worth Rs. 1.53 lakh crore for loss reduction infrastructure and Rs. 1.31 lakh crore for smart metering have been sanctioned based on the proposals submitted  by  the  States.    For  the  State  of  Madhya  Pradesh,  loss  reduction  works amounting to Rs. 9,738 Cr. and smart metering works amounting to Rs. 8,911 Cr have been sanctioned.

……..2.

Under the scheme, distribution infrastructure works amounting to Rs. 360  crore are under implementation in Ratlam Parliamentary Constituency, which include works like construction of new  33/11 KV Substation, feeder bifurcation, feeder segregation, installation  of  additional  Distribution  Transformer,  replacement  of  old  cables  etc.  In addition,  household  electrification  works  of  8,232  tribal  households  have  also  been sanctioned under DA-JGUA (Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan) out of which 657 households have been electrified till date.

Further, smart metering is an important intervention under the scheme to improve the collection efficiency of the DISCOMs while providing benefits like automatic energy accounting, improved load forecasting and facilitating an enabling ecosystem for energy transition. Under the scheme, works for installation of 20.33 crore smart meters have been sanctioned including 1.34 crore smart meters for the State of Madhya Pradesh. Till date,  5.59  crore  smart  meters  have  been  installed  across  the  country  under  various schemes including RDSS. This includes, 37.29 lakh smart meters installed in the State of  Madhya  Pradesh,  of  which  1,69,049  smart  meters  have  been  installed  in  Ratlam Parliamentary Constituency.

Under  RDSS,  release  of  funds  for  distribution infrastructure is linked to achievement of the distribution utilities against various parameters including reduction in  losses  and  progress  of  installation  of  smart  meters.  The  implementation  of  the sanctioned works is expected to strengthen the distribution infrastructure and facilitate integration of renewable energy.

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