With pilot project facing severe backlash, Gujarat has only 1.73 lakh smart meters installed, out of 1.60 crore meters across the country. With 57 lakh smart meters, Bihar tops the list of states with the highest installations, followed by Assam on second with 22.65 lakh smart meters.
The National Smart Grid Mission was launched by the Central Government in 2015 to install smart electricity meters in all the states of the country. Since then, a total of 22.24 crore smart electricity meters have been approved in different states and of these, 1.60 crore meters have been installed so far.
However, Gujarat is not even among the top-10 states in the country in terms of installing smart meters as the state saw protests against it, alleging higher electricity bills with smart meters. The government energy entities — MGVCL, PGVCL, DGVCL, UGVCL — had to stop installing the meters.
Amid widespread uproar across Gujarat regarding smart electricity meters, and numerous complaints about exorbitant bills being generated by these devices, the state government had decided to install both smart meters and conventional meters simultaneously outside houses.
The decision aimed to address misconceptions and concerns among consumers.
Strong protests emerged against prepaid smart meters in cities like Vadodara, Rajkot, and Jamnagar in the state.
There are 12 states in India where not a single smart meter has been installed yet.