Discoms’ outstanding dues to gencos fall 3 per cent to Rs 78,379 cr in March

Total dues owed by electricity distribution companies to power producers fell 3.4 per cent to Rs 78,379 crore in March 2021 as compared to the year-ago period, showing a reversal of discoms’ growing outstandings.

Outstanding dues of discoms towards electricity producers have been increasing year-on-year as well as month-on-month for years showing perennial stress in the power sector till February this year.

Distribution companies (discoms) owed total Rs 81,116 crore to power generation firms in March 2020, according to portal PRAAPTI (Payment Ratification And Analysis in Power procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators).

The dues in March also declined from Rs 98,673 crore in February and Rs 99,023 crore in January this year.

The PRAAPTI portal was launched in May 2018 to bring in transparency in power purchase transactions between generators and discoms.

In March 2021, the total overdue amount, which was not cleared even after 45 days of grace period offered by generators, stood at Rs 67,417 crore as against Rs 68,587 crore in the same month a year ago.