Punjab tops in paying power bills through digital mode

According to the Urban Jyoti Abhiyaan (URJA) monthly rankings released by the ministry of power on June 21, Punjab has topped consecutively for seven months in terms of online transactions for payment of power bills

Punjab consumers have surpassed their counterparts in other states when it comes to making digital payments of power bills.

The e-payment facility was started by the PSPCL in 2008 through Billdesk. In 2014, PayU was added as a mode of digital payment followed by Paytm in 2017. (File Photo used for representational purpose)

According to the Urban Jyoti Abhiyaan (URJA) monthly rankings released by the ministry of power on June 21, Punjab has topped consecutively for seven months in terms of online transactions for payment of power bills. In October last year, around 21.99% consumers in the state were paying to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited ( PSPCL) through digital mode. However, in seven months it has increased to 40.92% consumers.

In May last year, the PSPCL had received around Rs 438 crore from consumers for power bills, with 7 lakh digital transactions. In May 2019, the amount has crossed Rs 1,200 crore with around 95 lakh digital transactions.

Also, the percentage of digital collection of the PSPCL has sharply increased in recent financial years. In 2016-17, the digital collection in the state was Rs 2,410 crore with 51 lakh digital transactions. In 2017-18, the figure reached Rs 3,920 crore with 64 lakh digital transactions. With 95 lakh digital transactions in 2018-19, the amount has crossed Rs 12,000 crore.According to the Urban Jyoti Abhiyaan, Punjab has at least seven towns among the top twenty towns of the country that make the highest number of digital payments for paying power bills. Amritsar is at the fourth place, followed by Jalandhar at the sixth position and Hoshiarpur at the ninth rank.

The e-payment facility was started by the PSPCL in 2008 through Billdesk. In 2014, PayU was added as a mode of digital payment followed by Paytm in 2017. The PSPCL has stated that from July 1 all electricity bill payments above Rs 50,000 will be accepted through digital modes. The move is said to increase the percentage of digital bill collection of the PSPCL.

PSPCL joint financial advisor Ashwani Singhla said, “In August last year, chairman-cummanaging director Baldev Singh Sran had initiated a campaign to spread awareness about the benefits of digital payments.The PSPCL advertised about the campaign throughout the state using various means. It is because of this initiative that Punjab has achieved this feat.”