J&K consumers getting cheapest power: Lieutenant Governor

Our Correspondent

Srinagar, August 12

“The consumers of Jammu and Kashmir are getting the cheapest power as compared to other states in the country. Besides, there has been no hike in power tariff in the Union Territory for the last three years,” Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha said on Monday.

Sinha said he pointed this out as there were talks about electricity charges being increased. “In the last three years, there hasn’t been an increase of even one paisa in power tariff…if you compare it to neighbouring states or any state or UT in the country, cheapest power is being supplied to the consumers in J&K,” Sinha said, while addressing mediapersons in Srinagar about the Jammu and Kashmir Budget passed in the Parliament.

He said the government had “repaid power sector dues of about Rs 28,000 crore, which were pending and rising for several years.”

Sinha further said 5.74 lakh smart meters had been installed by June 2024, resulting in 25 per cent reduction in transmission and distribution (T&D) losses and 10 per cent increase in tariff collection per month.

He highlighted that a Budget of Rs 1,18,390 crore was passed for the UT for 2024-25, which was Rs 30,889 crore higher than the expenditure of 2023-24.

The L-G further said the tax/gross domestic product (GDP) ratio for 2024-25 was projected at 7.92 per cent, which is 5.68 per cent higher than that of previous fiscal. The revenue expenditure for 2024-25 is pegged at Rs 81,486 crore.

Sinha said, “Historically, Jammu and Kashmir has faced challenges in fiscal management due to the unabated pressures of externally sponsored terrorism and the high levels of committed expenditure and Aggregate Technical and Commercial (ATC) losses in power sector had accentuated these challenges.”

“Hence over the past year, the UT government has stressed on revenue augmentation, improving project execution, reducing ATC losses and improving the quality of governance,” he said, adding that J&K had seen a period marked by peace, prosperity and optimism during the last five years.