Bihar: ‘26 lakh smart electricity meters to be installed in rural areas’

PATNA: Taking forward the installation of Smart Prepaid Meter (SPM) to next phase, North Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (NBPDCL) — one of the power distribution companies (DISCOMs) of Bihar State Power Holding Company Limited (BSPHCL) — on Thursday signed an agreement with a private firm for supply and installation of the smart meters in five rural districts of north Bihar.
Chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) of BSPHCL Sanjeev Hans, managing director of NBPDCL Prabhakar and senior officials of Secure Meters Limited were present at the signing of MoU between NBPDCL and the private firm.
“This is a historic day for Bihar as we begin installation of SPM in rural areas of north Bihar districts. Under the visionary leadership of CM Nitish Kumar, we had decided to install SPMs across all households of Bihar,” energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said.
According to the agreement, the private firm would supply 26 lakh SPMs for installation in rural households of Muzaffarpur, East Champaran, West Champaran, Sitamarhi and Sheohar districts in next 30 months. In Muzaffarpur, the SPMs would be allotted for urban areas also. The SML will also carry out energy audit.