J&K, Ladakh get Rs 6,900 crore boost for power sector

Srinagar, Dec 11: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have received Rs 6,974 crore in sanctioned funds under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) to strengthen the power distribution network, reducing losses and improving supply reliability, Union Ministry of Power informed Lok Sabha on Thursday.

The ministry has said that Jammu and Kashmir has been sanctioned Rs 6,098 crore including Rs 1,064 crore for smart metering and Rs 5,034 crore for loss-reduction works.

For UT of Ladakh, Rs 876 crore has been sanctioned exclusively for system strengthening and loss-reduction works.

Under smart metering, J&K has been sanctioned 14.97 lakh smart meters, while Ladakh has 57,509 meters sanctioned, including consumer, DT and feeder meters.

On the ground, J&K has achieved 34 percent physical progress in loss-reduction works whereas Ladakh has reached 8 percent progress, the Ministry said.

It also said that 10.48 lakh smart meters have already been installed in J&K and 57,509 smart meters have been installed in Ladakh.

The ministry informed that the AT&C loss for J&K was 59.28 percent in FY 2020-21. In Ladakh, AT&C losses stood at 48.29 percent in FY 2021-22, 38.61 percent in FY 2022-23, and 42.46 percent in FY 2023-24.

The ACS-ARR gap for J&K was Rs 1.81 per unit in FY 2020-21 and in Ladakh it was recorded at Rs 0.42 per unit in FY 2021-22, Rs 2.05 per unit in FY 2022-23, and Rs 0.89 per unit in FY 2023-24, the data shows.

The Ministry said RDSS works across the country including in J&K and Ladakh are likely to be completed by March 31, 2028, with a focus on improving financial sustainability and ensuring reliable power supply to consumers—(KNO)