Six Indian states, including Delhi, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, and Meghalaya, have failed to install even one smart electricity meter under the ambitious Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), according to Minister of State for Power Shripad Naik. The revelation, shared in a Rajya Sabha reply on Monday, also highlighted that the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry reported zero installations as of June 30, 2025.

Launched in 2021 with a massive Rs 3,03,758 crore budget, the RDSS aims to revolutionize power distribution by enhancing operational efficiency and financial sustainability of distribution utilities. The scheme targets installing 250 million smart meters by March 2028 to reduce technical and commercial losses and improve billing accuracy. However, only 2.27 crore of the 20.33 crore sanctioned smart meters have been installed nationwide, with a total of 3.46 crore meters deployed under various schemes.

Maharashtra leads with 41.82 lakh installations against 2.40 crore sanctioned, followed by Assam with 35.63 lakh against 64.45 lakh. Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh reported 29.07 lakh and 22 lakh installations, respectively, while Mizoram lags with just 1,408 meters installed against 2.92 lakh sanctioned.

In contrast, Delhi (3,521 sanctioned), Goa (7,50,356), Kerala (1,33,83,001), Tamil Nadu (3,04,90,774), Punjab (89,81,414), and Meghalaya (4,72,743) have reported no progress, raising concerns about meeting the 2028 deadline.

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The sluggish rollout in these states underscores challenges like procurement delays, supply chain issues, and workforce readiness, threatening India’s push for a smarter, greener energy grid.

Short Description: Six Indian states, including Delhi and Tamil Nadu, report zero smart meter installations under RDSS, stalling India’s power sector reforms.

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