Parliament Question: Progress Made under RDSS

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF POWER LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2032 ANSWERED ON 30.07.2026 PROGRESS MADE UNDER RDSS

2032. SHRI YADUVEER WADIYAR:

Will the Minister of POWER

be pleased to state:

(a) the progress made under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in reducing Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses across the country;

(b) the targets fixed under the said scheme for reduction of AT&C losses and the current achievement levels, State-wise including Karnataka;

(c) the funds sanctioned and released under RDSS to Karnataka for feeder separation, smart metering and infrastructure strengthening; and

(d) the measurable impact of RDSS interventions on improving operational efficiency and financial sustainability of DISCOMs? A N S W E R THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF POWER (SHRI SHRIPAD NAIK)

(a) to (d): Government of India (GoI) launched the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in July 2021 with the objective of improving the quality and reliability of power supply to consumers through a financially sustainable and operationally efficient distribution sector. The Scheme has an outlay of Rs. 3,03,758 crore with an estimated Central Grant of Rs.

97,631 crore. The Scheme aims at reducing the Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses to pan-India levels of 12-15%.

Under the Scheme, financial assistance is being provided to the distribution utilities (excluding private sector utilities) for undertaking loss reduction infrastructure works and smart metering works. Projects worth Rs. 1.53 lakh crore for loss reduction infrastructure works and Rs.

1.31 lakh crore for smart metering works have been sanctioned under the Scheme.The following works have been sanctioned under the Scheme to strengthen the distribution network and reduce AT&C losses:  Creation of new substations and upgradation of existing substations.

 Installation of new Distribution Transformers (DTs) and augmentation of existing DTs.  Replacement of old conductors.  Agriculture feeder segregation works.  IT/OT systems like Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition

(SCADA) to improve grid monitoring.  Smart metering works covering 19.79 crore consumers, 2.11 lakh feeders and 52.53 lakh DTs. Smart metering works help in improving the billing efficiency of utilities through automated energy accounting, which enables identification of leakages and high-loss areas, and in improving the collection efficiency of utilities through the pre-paid system.

The release of funds under the Scheme is contingent upon improvement in the operational and financial performance of the distribution utilities. This, in addition to other initiatives taken by GoI, has helped in bringing discipline in the payment of Government subsidies and Government department dues to the utilities, regular issuance of tariff orders, publishing of accounts, non-creation of regulatory assets, etc.

With the concerted efforts of the Central and State Governments and as a result of the reform measures undertaken, AT&C losses across the country have reduced from 21.91% in FY21 to 15.04% in FY25.

Further, the gap between the Average Cost of Supply (ACS) and the Average Revenue Realised (ARR) has reduced from Rs. 0.69/kWh in FY21 to Rs. 0.06/kWh in FY25. Distribution Utility wise details of AT&C losses and targets prescribed under RDSS are enclosed in Annexure.

As regards Karnataka, the State has not availed assistance under RDSS for loss reduction and smart metering works. However, household electrification works worth Rs. 45 crore (GBS: 27 crore), covering electrification of 6,903 households, have been sanctioned for Karnataka, as per the proposal submitted by the State. Out of this, 3,260 households have been electrified and Rs 10.14 crore have been released, till date.

****************ANNEXURE ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2032 ANSWERED IN THE LOK SABHA ON 30.07.2026 ************* Distribution utility wise AT&C loss (in %) target and achievement under RDSS FY21 Sl. FY25 FY25 FY26 State DISCOM Actual No. Target Actual Target

(Baseline)

1. A &N Islands EDAN 25.30% 17.00% 24.14% 13.00%

2. A ndhra Pradesh APCPDCL 22.73% 11.54% 7.95% 10.83%

3. A ndhra Pradesh APEPDCL 20.85% 11.00% 7.70% 9.01%

4. A ndhra Pradesh APSPDCL 18.65% 15.00% 7.99% 12.78%

5. A runachal PD 51.82% 28.00% 46.20% 22.00% Pradesh

6. A ssam APDCL 18.73% 15.80% 15.44% 13.00%

7. B ihar NBPDCL 31.48% 19.00% 14.49% 16.00%

8. B ihar SBPDCL 36.68% 25.00% 16.35% 20.00%

9. C hhattisgarh CSPDCL 18.05% 14.32% 14.25% 13.10%

10. D elhi NDMC 24.83% 8.00% 8.36% 7.00%

11. G oa GED 12.89% 11.00% 10.39% 10.25%

12. G ujarat DGVCL 7.40% 7.80% 4.26% 7.70%

13. G ujarat MGVCL 9.96% 9.81% 8.37% 9.31%

14. G ujarat PGVCL 17.86% 16.22% 12.73% 15.00%

15. G ujarat UGVCL 6.76% 7.25% 6.16% 7.20%

16. H aryana DHBVNL 16.93% 13.50% 12.20% 12.50%

17. H aryana UHBVNL 18.20% 13.50% 11.12% 12.50%

18. H imachal Pradesh HPSEBL 14.02% 11.53% 19.44% 10.15%

19. J ammu & JPDCL 52.17% 37.00% NA 27.00%

20.

KJ aamshmmui r& KPDCL 69.84% 44.00% NA 34.00% Kashmir

21. J harkhand JBVNL 43.09% 24.00% 28.19% 19.00%

22. K arnataka* BESCOM 15.93% - 12.50% -

23. K arnataka* CESC 20.27% - 8.76% -

24. K arnataka* GESCOM 17.73% - 13.48% -

25. K arnataka* HESCOM 14.16% - 12.14% -

26. K arnataka* MESCOM 12.28% - 10.02% -

27. K erala KSEBL 7.80% 11.50% 6.61% 10.50%

28. K erala TCED 13.48% 8.14% 6.94% 8.00%

29. L adakh Ladakh PD 48.17% 28.00% 26.82% 20.00%

30. M adhya Pradesh MP Central 49.76% 26.99% 29.60% 19.57%

31. M adhya Pradesh MP East 45.39% 24.27% 26.66% 19.49%

32. M adhya Pradesh MP West 30.28% 16.09% 12.78% 13.40%

33. M aharashtra MSEDCL 28.28% 15.50% 18.09% 13.00%

34. M aharashtra BEST 8.18% 7.60% 5.07% 7.50%35. M anipur MSPDCL 24.56% 15.50% 12.90% 13.00%

36. M eghalaya MePDCL 23.37% 21.00% 17.52% 18.00%

37. M izoram MPED 29.05% 17.50% 32.31% 14.00%

38. N agaland DOPN 47.08% 34.00% 48.86% 25.60%

39. O disha** TPCODL 25.94% - 19.11% -

40. O disha** TPNODL 25.59% - 12.51% -

41. O disha** TPSODL 20.47% - 23.36% -

42. O disha** TPWODL 22.43% - 17.64% -

43. P uducherry PED 20.12% 14.00% 14.72% 11.56%

44. P unjab PSPCL 18.54% 14.00% 19.21% 13.50%

45. R ajasthan AVVNL 21.45% 15.75% 9.22% 14.25%

46. R ajasthan JVVNL 25.08% 17.70% 13.75% 15.00%

47. R ajasthan JdVVNL 31.00% 19.50% 21.42% 16.00%

48. S ikkim Sikkim PD 25.92% 20.00% 21.84% 15.00%

49. T amil Nadu TNPDCL 11.78% 12.40% 10.96% 11.92%

50. T elangana* TGNPDCL 9.03% - 23.22% -

51. T elangana* TGSPDCL 15.48% - 18.51% -

52. T ripura TSECL 37.36% 23.00% 29.61% 19.00%

53. U ttar Pradesh DVVNL 31.36% 25.26% 19.70% 18.97%

54. U ttar Pradesh MVVNL 32.01% 21.08% 17.70% 17.97%

55. U ttar Pradesh PVVNL 17.85% 15.06% 11.91% 12.69%

56. U ttar Pradesh PuVVNL 31.95% 22.75% 30.70% 18.49%

57. U ttar Pradesh KESCO 12.45% 10.65% 14.29% 8.07%

58. U ttarakhand UPCL 15.39% 14.99% 15.08% 13.96%

59. W est Bengal WBSEDCL 21.34% 15.50% 17.17% 12.11% National 21.91% - 15.04% - *: DISCOMs which did not participate under RDSS for Loss Reduction and Smart metering works **: DISCOMs not eligible for funding under RDSS **************