An order issued by the public sector Jaipur Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (Jaipur Discom), making it mandatory for its employees to use a newly launched mobile app for digital payment of their electricity bills, has created a controversy here, with the Congress taking up the issue.
The Jaipur Discom has been trying to popularise its ‘Bijli Mitra’ app among consumers.
Salaries conditional
In its September 6-order, the discom directed its 16,000 employees in the 12 districts covered by its operations to give an undertaking that they have downloaded the app and started paying their domestic power bills through the new mode.
“Officers and employees will be paid their salaries for September 2018 and the subsequent months only after they submit the undertaking in the prescribed format,” stated the order.
Pradesh Congress president Sachin Pilot took exception to the discom’s decision and said it was a “whimsical order”.
‘Autocratic manner’
“In this anti-employees’ regime, even the discom is working in an autocratic manner. You are free to accept online bill payments, but why are you targeting the salaries,” he asked.
Jaipur Discom Chairman & Managing Director (C&MD) R.G. Gupta claimed that the decision had been taken with the “willingness” of all employees. “It is a convenient mode for both consumers and employees and is being liked,” he said.
Mr. Gupta retweeted a message of a discom Junior Engineer, Umesh, in support of the decision. It said that if the discom employees did not make bill payment through the app, how would they suggest it to their consumers? The employees were already receiving their salaries through the digital mode, it said.
Promoting app
The discom has also introduced a monthly lottery system to promote digital payments through the Bijli Mitra app.
The lottery randomly selects 100 consumers using the app every month. The winner gets a prize of ₹5,000, which is adjusted against their future electricity bills.