Bihar chief minister has directed officials to expedite the installation of smart meters in every home.

On Saturday, CM Nitish Kumar asked the energy department to expedite the installation of prepaid smart meters in each Bihar household, reiterating his demand for the country to have ‘one nation, one electricity rate.’

The CM assured officials that there would be no shortage of funds for the ongoing work of installing prepaid smart meters while chairing a high-level meeting to review the performance of the energy department via video conferencing. “You should all work to accelerate smart meter implementation,” he said.

According to Nitish, the prepaid smart meter scheme was first introduced in Bihar. Later, the Centre adopted it for use in other states. “The installation of prepaid smart meters in all households will not only provide comfort to customers but will also prevent the state from misusing electricity,” he said.

“Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to implement the Bihar government’s prepaid smart meter scheme in the country when she presented the country’s Budget for FY 2021-22 in Parliament in February this year. The Bihar chief minister had then accepted the Centre’s decision,” an energy department official told TOI on Saturday.

A few months ago, the government-owned Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) signed agreements with two Bihar power distribution companies to install 23.4 lakh prepaid smart meters across the state.

Nitish said at the review meeting that his government completed the task of connecting every household in the state to electricity in October 2018. People are having a steady supply of electricity. “Everyone is asked to use energy responsibly and not to abuse it. “It is also in the interest of the world to use electricity properly,” Nitish said.

He also requested that energy officials operate on a priority basis to provide farmers with electricity connections in order to supply water for irrigation to each farmland.

The CM also requested that the renewable energy agency officials expedite the construction of the proposed two solar power plants in Kajra, Lakhisarai district, and Pirpainti, Bhagalpur district. “With the start of generation from the two plants, there will be a significant increase in solar power output in the state, which will be beneficial to the environment,” Nitish said.

Earlier, the state’s energy secretary, Sanjeev Hans, briefed the CM on the current status of the department’s various schemes.

When asked about the status of hydropower, Nitish said, “The multi-purpose Dagmara hydropower project is in its advanced stage, and the state will benefit after the completion of this project.”