<ul><li>The Telangana <keyword id="140955" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Electricity-department">electricity department</keyword> has issued a combined bill for the last three months.</li><li>Consumers have claimed that they have received inflated bills.</li><li>The TSSPDCL has denied this and claimed that the bills have increased due to increase in usage.</li></ul>While the people of Telangana are trying to fight the Coronavirus pandemic, the Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) has left its customers in a state of shock after issuing inflated <keyword id="159810" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="electricity-bills">electricity bills</keyword> to its customers across the state. The nationwide coronavirus lockdown affected several activities and this includes the generation of electricity bills. The TSSPDCL personnel generate bills by going to the customer’s homes for taking meter readings. The TSSPDCL personnel started taking meter readings after three months in June and the bills have been generated for around 90 days. The bill period includes the months of March, April and May. This has led to generation of inflated bills. What is the issue? Customers have received inflated bills as the TSSPDCL has generated the bills for the last three months in one go, without considering the impact on slab brackets. The electricity board had earlier assured consumers will not be moved into the next tariff bracket as the total electricity usage will be adjusted for the lockdown period. Here are the various slab brackets for domestic consumers in Telangana – <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#4472c4;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Category </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#4472c4;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Units </td><td style="border-right:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#4472c4;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Charge per unit </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Cat-I(A) </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">0-50 </td><td style="border-right:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 1.45 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">51-100 </td><td style="border-right:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 2.60 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Cat-I(B)(i) </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">0-100 </td><td style="border-right:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 3.30 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">101-200 </td><td style="border-right:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 4.30 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Cat-I(B)(ii) </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">0-200 </td><td style="border-right:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 5 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">201-300 </td><td style="border-right:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 7.20 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">301-400 </td><td style="border-right:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 8.50 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">401-800 </td><td style="border-right:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 9 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Above 800 </td><td style="border-right:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">9.5 </td></tr></tbody></table> The current issue is that TSSPDCL has taken the electricity usage of three months and averaged the units to determine the slabs. This has pushed the electricity bill of all three months to the higher bracket. Consumers complain about inflated bills The consumers have taken to social media to complain about the inflated bills. Consumers have claimed that they have received bills that are way higher than their usual bill. <div type="twitter" handle="Farooq_FNPA" handlename="Farooq" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1156042101403967488/MVRHw5Vo_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="@KTRTRS @TsspdclCorporat Sir, received bill of Rs.39487/- for March, April &amp; May. As a middle class people, I can… https://t.co/o1UWnvlXSO" createdat="1591593126000" id="1269859728055656448"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="pankajkj25" handlename="Pankaj Jain" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/630618563540168704/NlnPMLuC_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="@KTRTRS @TsspdclCorporat Received electricity bill of 24000 rs. which is no way possible. Been paying bill for la… https://t.co/rWoSnNLA0S" createdat="1591595147000" id="1269868205570355202"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="VVSNARAYANA11" handlename="VVSNARAYANA" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1242735177773678592/hSVVU1te_normal.jpg" favoritecount="1" retweetcount="0" status="@TsspdclCorporat https://t.co/pu5hZaYB9e" createdat="1591526513000" id="1269580333541756928"></div> TSSPDCL denies claims of inflated bills The TSSPDCL Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Raghuma Reddy has denied that the consumers have received inflated bills, claiming that the bills are high due to increased usage. “There is no error in billing. The bill is more because the consumption was more. With the increase in consumption, the slab rate of consumers has also increased. In fact, it happens every year during the summer.” said Reddy. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/legal/supreme-court-of-india-says-buyers-of-auctioned-property-have-to-pay-old-electricity-bills/articleshow/76176153.cms">India’s Supreme Court says those who buy auctioned property will have to pay prior electricity bills</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/research/news/severe-weather-threatens-indias-electricity-infrastructure-the-threats-been-building-up-over-the-last-10-years/articleshow/75772778.cms">Severe weather threatens India's electricity infrastructure — the threats have been building up over the last 10 years</a>

The latest electricity bills shock Telangana residents⁠ — delayed readings push consumers into a higher tariff bracket

<ul><li>A purchaser of a mineral bottling plant that was auctioned refused to pay overdue <keyword id="769626" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Electricity-dues">electricity dues</keyword> which were unpaid by the previous owner.</li><li>Seeking to quash the electricity authority’s demands, the purchaser approached the Telangana High Court, which granted him relief.</li><li>Later, a Division Bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph overruled the High Court’s judgment, fixing the liability on the purchaser of the <keyword id="9339052" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="auctioned-property">auctioned property</keyword>.</li></ul>If you buy a property in an auction and later find out that there were unpaid electricity bills, they are now your’s to pay. While this is generally understood as the norm, it’s something the <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> had to reiterate after the Telangana High Court excused the statutory electricity dues of a water bottling plant in the state. The Supreme Court said that <keyword id="9339053" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="purchasers-of-auctioned-property">purchasers of auctioned property</keyword> are liable to pay the statutory electricity dues — especially since the charges were specifically mentioned during the auction. Hearing a case between the auction-purchaser of a water bottling plant in Telangana and the Telangana Electricity Board, the bench — which included Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph — ruled that in this specific case, the buyer of the property was liable to pay to statutory electricity dues which were unpaid by the previous owner. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="74704591" title="Vodafone India’s revenues are getting stronger after tariff hikes but its fate is still linked to Supreme Court orders" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> What is the case about? The case is about the payment of statutory dues by the purchaser of an auctioned property. In this particular instance, the purchaser refused to pay statutory electricity dues which were unpaid by the previous owner. The purchaser applied for a new electricity connection, but the authorities refused to provide the connection on the grounds that there were outstanding dues to be paid. Seeking to quash these demands made by the authorities, the purchaser approached the Telangana High Court, which subsequently granted relief. What did the Supreme Court say? The case was subsequently raised by the Telangana Electricity Board in the Supreme Court, which observed that the purchaser was liable to clear the dues. In its observation, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/who-is-liable-to-pay-outstanding-statutory-electricity-dues-after-auction-sale-of-property-supreme-court-answers">said</a>, “Where, as in cases of the E-auction notice in question, the existence of electricity dues, whether quantified or not, has been specifically mentioned as a liability of the purchaser and the sale is on “as is where is, whatever there is and without recourse basis”, there can be no doubt that the liability to pay electricity dues exists on the respondent (purchaser).” Who does it affect? The ruling made by the Supreme Court affects anyone purchasing any property in an auction. More specifically, during the auction, the auctioneer will have to mention specifically that the property is being sold on an “as is” basis, just like in the case above. If this is explicitly mentioned, the purchaser of the property will inherit all the liabilities and assets associated with the property. The purchaser will also have no recourse in this regard. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/indias-supreme-court-wont-allow-4g-internet-in-jammu-and-kashmir/articleshow/75670549.cms">India's Supreme Court won't allow 4G in Jammu and Kashmir⁠— despite petitioners' plea that it's essential for healthcare, education and business during the coronavirus lockdown</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/supreme-court-asks-states-to-consider-home-delivery-of-liquor-amid-lockdown/articleshow/75626269.cms">Supreme Court asks states to consider home delivery of liquor amid lockdown</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/indian-supreme-courts-ego-is-coming-in-the-way-of-peace-between-the-government-and-telcos/articleshow/74687878.cms">Indian Supreme Court's ego is coming in the way of peace between the government and telcos</a>

India’s Supreme Court says those who buy auctioned property will have to pay prior electricity bills

Hyderabad, May 5 () Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Tuesday announced extension of the lockdown in the state till May 29 but with relaxations in rural and municipal areas. Rao, who was speaking on Tuesday night after a marathon meeting of the state cabinet, said majority opinion in the state is in favour of extending the lockdown. "We are extending lockdown in our state till 29th May. We will definitely implement it seriously. Night curfew will be there in the entire state. At any cost. There will be serious curfew after 7 pm," he told reporters. Rao said 1,096 people have tested positive for the virus as on Tuesday evening. He said 628 people have been discharged after treatment. As many as 439 people are undergoing treatment, he said. Number of deaths stood at 29. Telangana is flattening the curve and it should be brought to zero, he said. Out of the 33 districts in the state, Hyderabad, Medchal and Ranga Reddy districts (which largely form the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation area) are the cause of concern with regard to the spread of the virus, he said. Rao said 66 per cent of the total cases in the state are reported from the three districts. Six districts in the state are in red zone but the other three districts (except Hyderabad, Medchal and Ranga Reddy) may move out of the red zone in the next few days, he said. Fresh cases are also being reported from the Hyderabad, Medchal and Ranga Reddy districts, he said. The state government is fully equipped to deal with the virus having acquired PPE and other equipment, he said. The state government would implement the guidelines issued by the Centre with regard to activity in red, orange and green zones, he said. Though the Centre allowed opening of shops in red zones, the state government would not allow opening of shops in red zones, he said. Shops related to construction activity and shops selling essential commodities would remain open, he said. Agriculture activity and related shops would remain open, he said. Rao said he will hold a review on May 15. He said all shops in mandal headquarters and villages below that level (broadly rural areas) in green and orange zones can be opened. In municipal towns, only 50 per cent of shops would be allowed to open, he said. All shops would get an opportunity to open as per a lottery system. However, social distancing should be maintained strictly. The shops would be open from 10 am to 6 pm as night curfew would be implemented in the entire state, he said. Recalling that Class 10 exams stopped midway due to the lockdown, he said the government would appeal in the high court for permission to conduct the test for remaining papers. The state government would take all precautions in view of COVID-19 in conduct of exams, he said. Talking about migrant workers, he said the state government would facilitate the travel of migrant workers who want to go to their native places. However, lakhs of migrant workers cannot be sent at once as Telangana government has to send the list of workers to the state where they would go, he said. Saying that he has spoken to Chief Ministers of UP, Bihar and others, he said it will be difficult for the states concerned to handle the arrival of a huge number of workers at once as arrangements have to be made vis-a-vis arrival of workers. He said 11 trains were being sent from Hyderabad to different states on Tuesday. Highlighting that economic activity is going to start in the state, he appealed to the migrant workers to try to stay back as they would be able to find work soon. He said some 1,200 workers would be brought from Bihar to work in rice mills in the state. About 20,000 workers who are willing to come are also going to come to the state, he said. Rao announced the opening of liquor shops in the state from Wednesday, except 15 shops in containment zones. However, social distancing and masks are a must, he said. Talking about a new electricity bill reportedly proposed by he Centre, he voiced strong opposition to it, alleging that it would take away the powers of the Centre. SJRHMB

Lockdown extended in Telangana till May 29

The Telangana government on Sunday directed the house owners to defer collecting rent from residential tenants for three months with effect from March. The state cabinet took the decision to provide relief to tenants in view of hardships caused by the lockdown. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao told a news conference after the cabinet meeting that if house owners harass the tenants for rent, they may lodge a complaint by dialing 100. The house owners were also directed not to collect interest on rent arrears. In another major decision, the government directed the private schools not to hike the fee for the academic year 2020-21. The schools were asked to collect only the tuition fee and that too on a monthly basis and not on quarterly or any other basis. The government also decided to defer property tax and fixed electricity charges for the industry till the end of May. The electricity billing will be on actual consumption and not on a fixed basis. Deferred payments can be made without any penalty or interest. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/list-of-coronavirus-hotspots-and-containment-zones-in-telangana/articleshow/75152619.cms">List of Coronavirus hotspots in Telangana</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/telangana-coronavirus-lockdown-relaxation-april-20/articleshow/75229145.cms">Telangana will not relax lockdown after April 20</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/lockdown-extended-in-telangana-till-may-7/articleshow/75240019.cms">Lockdown extended in Telangana till May 7</a>

Telangana government asks house owners to defer rent collection for 3 months

<ul><li>In a letter for the Ministry of Power, CUTS explained various parts the government needs to reconsider before making amendments in the Electricity Act, 2003. </li><li>Referring to the provision in the draft bill for the <keyword id="6357205" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="direct-benefit-transfer">direct benefit transfer</keyword> of subsidy to be provided to consumers it said, the amendment is not in favour of the lower class as they “will have to pay from their own pocket first.” </li><li>CUTS believes the government’s move to empower the National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) to be the authority responsible for monitoring grid operations provides “the NLDC wide ambit of powers without fixing much responsibility and accountability.”</li></ul>The union government proposed major amendments in the Electricity Act, 2003 with a “good intention,” according to Consumer Unity &amp; Trust Society (CUTS) International, a leading think-tank working on economic and public policy issues. However, the non-profit think-tank pointed out various issues in the draft of the bill, which looks for reforms such as centralisation of power, distribution franchise and subsidy for customers. In a letter for the Ministry of Power, CUTS explained various parts where the government seeks amendment in the act. Direct Benefit Transfers to impact poor pockets The current draft of the bill proposes to move away from the tariff for the viability of Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOMs) to Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) to the consumers similar to the LPG cylinder segment. However, according to CUTS, it does not give clarification on whether the subsidy will be transferred to the consumer bank account or will be provided to the electricity providers to be transferred to consumer accounts. While referring to the provision in the draft bill for the direct benefit transfer of subsidy provided to consumers, the think tank said the amendment is not in favour of the lower class. “They will have to pay from their own pocket first, which they cannot afford, and any kind of delay in the transfer of payment will affect them drastically,” it said. State governments feel they will lose their authority CUTS believes the government’s move to empower the National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) to be the authority responsible for monitoring grid operations provides “the NLDC wide ambit of powers without fixing much responsibility and accountability.” Earlier Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao also pointed out that the proposed bill would make NLDC all-powerful in scheduling of power supply throughout the country. This will result in backing down of state thermal units, which will cause loss of power to state governments. He demanded that intra-state transmissions decisions should be left with the state units. In another proposed amendment, the Centre proposed to make it mandatory for the commissions to reduce cross-subsidy in the manner as provided by the tariff policy. However, this can have a huge impact on the pockets of the farmers and the lower strata of society. In Tamil Nadu, the office bearers of <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/farmers-protest-against-proposed-amendments-to-electricity-act/article31761116.ece">Tamil Nadu Farmers' Association staged a demonstration</a> in Natrampalli against the proposed amendments to the Electricity Act. The association thinks the new amendment would lead to cost escalation in production for the farmers. The opposition has widely opposed the proposed amendment as they believe that “this is neither in the public interest nor in the interest of state power utilities.” Earlier in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/cm-urges-pm-to-withdraw-proposed-changes-in-electricity-act/article31735820.ece">Telangana CM KCR voiced the state’s</a> serious concerns over amendments to the Electricity Act. He made it clear that this would have an adverse impact directly on the management of the state electricity organisations. Electricity Act needs a reality check before its imposition in J&amp;K According to CUTS, the government needs to analyse ground reality first, and then the proposed changes could be modified and applied to the UT as Jammu Kashmir, and Ladakh. According to the think tank, the UT’s have as high as 48% Aggregate Technical &amp; Commercial (AT&amp;C) Loss caused by the combination of energy loss — caused by technical loss, theft, inefficiency in billing and commercial loss. The UT also has a high gap between the cost of power and revenue requirement— as the current price is ₹2.12 per unit— which can cause high financial duress of the DISCOMs. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/ekta-kapoor-suggests-reducing-film-budget-by-atleast-30/articleshow/76304353.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Indian filmmakers should cut production cost by at least 30%, says Ekta Kapoor</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/the-latest-electricity-bills-shock-telangana-residents/articleshow/76256854.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">The latest electricity bills shock Telangana residents⁠ — delayed readings push consumers into a higher tariff bracket</a>

These are the issues in India's new electricity laws, according to a non-profit think-tank

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/56797365.cms" style="height: 600px; width: 800px;" /> 
 
Walnut, a personal finance app, has created a Cashless India Scorecard comparing how each state is moving towards a cashless economy post-demonetisation, based on an aggregate analysis of its 5 million+ user’s data. 
 
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The scorecard ranks states based on: 
 
1) percentage increase in overall cashless transactions 
2) growth in shoppers using debit or credit card for the first time 
3) growth in merchants accepting digital payments. 
 
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 Gujarat, <keyword id="41646" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Haryana">Haryana</keyword>, and <keyword id="68884" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Telangana">Telangana</keyword> emerged as the top 3 states with the highest growth in going cashless in the country. 
 
The app also tracked category-wise spends for the top 5 states and fuel expenditure emerged as the leading category for cashless transactions post-demonetisation. Among these states, Walnut users who had previously used their debit cards only for withdrawing cash performed their first cashless transaction to pay bills. 
 
This suggests that enabling public and private utility services such as telecom, electricity, gas, water etc. to start accepting digital payments is most likely to turn users cashless for the first time. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/budget-2017-expectations-of-fintech-startups-from-modi-government/articleshow/56774975.cms">ALSO READ: Budget 2017: Expectations of Fintech Startups from Modi Government</a> 
 
J&amp;K and the north eastern states featured in the end which could be due to the unrest in the states. It also suggests that they might be the worst affected due to demonetization with less technological advancement. 
​ 
The complete ranking was as follows: 
 
1) Gujarat 
2) Telangana 
3) Haryana 4) <keyword id="6357713" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttar-Pradesh">Uttar Pradesh</keyword> 
5) Delhi 6) <keyword id="1502020" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Himanchal-Pradesh">Himanchal Pradesh</keyword> 7) <keyword id="44522" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttarakhand">Uttarakhand</keyword> 8) <keyword id="6354953" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Punjab">Punjab</keyword> 9) <keyword id="37102" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Andhra-Pradesh">Andhra Pradesh</keyword> 
10) Maharashtra 11) <keyword id="6355588" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajasthan">Rajasthan</keyword> 12) <keyword id="6354780" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karnataka">Karnataka</keyword> 13) <keyword id="20154" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</keyword> 
14) Jharkand 15) <keyword id="6355772" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="meghalaya">Meghalaya</keyword> 16) <keyword id="6354915" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Assam">Assam</keyword> 17) <keyword id="28504" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kerala">Kerala</keyword> 
18) Goa 19) <keyword id="6357783" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="West-Bengal">West Bengal</keyword>

Here are the top three states that scored high on the ‘cashless India scorecard’

<ul><li>Even though macro-economic data such as diesel consumption, credit offtake, vehicles tolled and property sales are holding up well, the micro picture is not so rosy afterall. Valuations of Indian stocks are still trending way above 10-year average. </li><li>Growth stocks likely to derate further as demand conditions weaken further after March quarter earnings.</li><li>Global cues appear weak after recent inflation and payroll data emerging from the US. Hedge fund managers expect a hard landing for the US in 2023. </li></ul> From the lows it plumbed in March this year, Indian equities are up by 8% in 2023 after dropping by over 11% in the January-March quarter. The macro indicators are also looking better than they were a few months ago and the monetary policy committee of the Reserve Bank of India has pressed the pause button on interest rate hikes. Retail inflation also eased to an 18-month low of 4.7% in April. Other high-frequency data such as diesel consumption, credit offtake, vehicles tolled and sale of residential property on a three-month moving average is doing fairly well. Ideally this should mean that the markets should continue their upward trajectory. The answer is a decisive no, as these triggers are not enough for the market to trend any higher. Here are five reasons why Indian markets will not stay range-bound after April and May’s rally. <ol><li>Rich Valuations To Cap Further Upside: All the positive macro indicators like lower crude prices, inflation print for April and a temporary pause in rate hikes are priced in by the markets. A big factor that contributed to the rally was that valuations of Indian stocks had corrected to more rational levels in the March quarter after a sharp sell-off. With the recent run-up in stocks, valuations are back to elevated levels. According to Antique Stock Broking, Indian equities are trading at 19.5x1 year forward P/E multiple (against the long-term average of 18.4x), which is on a higher side given the above-mentioned risk and slowing domestic macro (evident from high-frequency indicators like IIP, E-way bill generation, electricity demand, petroleum consumption and auto demand).</li><li>Q4 Earnings Are A Mixed Bag As IT Services Play Spoilsport: The ongoing earnings season has thrown up mixed trends. According to analysis, 35 of the Nifty50 companies, which account for nearly 80% of the market capitalisation of the index, posted revenue growth of 13.3% and an EBITDA growth of 14.4% and profit growth of 15.4%. However, the results are not so charming if one excludes financials and the commodity sector. Nifty50’s EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) beat was driven by Reliance Industries and Tata Steel along with auto companies. The IT services and cement sector posted muted growth.</li><li>Weak Global Cues: The Dow and S&amp;P 500 fell to new lows on Monday. The Dow slumped 336.46 points to 33,012 and the S&amp;P 500 declined by 26.38 points to 4109.90 on weak retail sales data. The Nasdaq too ended down. Hedge fund managers are factoring a hard landing for the US. Last week, billionaire investor Stan Druckenmiller, in an interview with Fortune, said the US economy was teetering on the edge of a recession and predicted a “hard landing.” This has also spooked markets as so far most of the analysts and strategists have been predicting a soft landing. Also, recent payroll and inflation data from the US seems to suggest that a rate-cut cycle is unlikely to start this year. </li><li>Competitive Populism Could Pose A Risk To Fiscal Prudence in FY24: Analysts are worried that with the BJP losing the state elections in Karnataka, the trend of doling out freebies will come back with a vengeance. Strategists fear that populism may rear its ugly head in the upcoming state elections due to be held in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Mizoram and the 2024 general election. This could undermine fiscal prudence and efficiency in government spending.</li><li>Premium Valuations of Growth Stocks To Correct Further: Growth stocks in India have enjoyed unrealistically premium valuations for a long time. With a meaningful slowdown in growth now becoming inevitable, analysts expect a further de-rating of these stocks. According to Kotak Institutional Equities, “The Indian market is trading at ‘reasonable’ valuations compared to recent history and bond yields after lacklustre returns over the past 18-20 months. However, most ‘growth’ stocks, especially in consumption, investment and outsourcing space, are trading at expensive valuations, despite increasing near-term demand issues and medium-term disruption risks.”</li></ol>

Five reasons why markets will not run up further from here

New Delhi, Jan 5 () Power producers' total outstanding dues owed by distribution companies increased around 45 per cent to Rs 81,085 crore in November 2019 over the same month previous year, reflecting stress in the sector.
 Distribution companies (discoms) owed a total of Rs 54,834 crore to power generation companies in November 2018, according to portal PRAA (Payment Ratification And Analysis in Power procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators).
 The portal was launched in May 2018 to bring in transparency in power purchase transactions between generators and discoms.
 In November 2019, the total overdue amount, which was not cleared even after 60 days of grace period offered by generators, stood at Rs 71,782 crore as against Rs 41,503 crore in the same month of the preceding year.
 Power producers give 60 days to discoms for paying bills for the supply of electricity. After that, outstanding dues become overdue and generators charge penal interest on that in most cases.
 In order to give relief to power generation companies (gencos), the Centre enforced a payment security mechanism from August 1. Under this mechanism, discoms are required to open letters of credit for getting power supply.
 According to the latest data on the portal, outstanding dues in November has increased over the preceding month. In October 2019, total outstanding dues on discoms stood at Rs 80,635 crore.
 The overdue amount in November has also increased over the preceding month. The total overdue amount was Rs 70,477 crore in October 2019.
Discoms in Rajasthan, Jammu &amp; Kashmir, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu account for the major portion of dues to power gencos, taking a longer duration of up to 943 days to make payments, the data showed.
 Among major states, Andhra Pradesh tops the list with 943 days to make payments, followed by Rajasthan (942 days), Bihar (942 days), Haryana (940 days), Tamil Nadu (938 days), Madhya Pradesh (927 days) and Telangana (920 days).
 Delhi takes 969 days to make payments to power gencos.
 Overdues of independent power producers amount to over 26 per cent of the total overdue of Rs 71,782 crore on discoms in November 2019.
 Among the central public sector power generators, NTPC alone has an overdue amount of Rs 12,483.16 crore on discoms, followed by NLC India at Rs 4,380.22 crore, NHPC at Rs 3,165.11 crore, THDC India at Rs 2,078.30 crore and Damodar Valley Corporation at Rs 936.59 crore.
 Among private generators, discoms owe the highest overdue of Rs 3,201.68 crore to Adani Power, followed by Bajaj Group-owned Lalitpur Power Generation Company Ltd at Rs 2,212.66 crore and GMR at Rs 1,930.16 crore. KKS ABM

Discoms' outstanding dues to power gencos rise 45 pc to Rs 81,085 cr in Nov

New Delhi, Dec 15 () Power producers' total outstanding dues owed by distribution companies rose around 48 per cent to Rs 81,010 crore in October 2019 over the same month last year, reflecting stress in the sector.
 Distribution companies (discoms) owed a total of Rs 54,654 crore to power generation companies in October 2018, according to portal PRAA (Payment Ratification And Analysis in Power procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators).
 The portal was launched in May 2018 to bring in transparency in power purchase transactions between generators and discoms.
 In October this year, the total overdue amount, which was not cleared even after 60 days of grace period offered by generators, stood at Rs 67,143 crore as against Rs 39,338 crore in the same month last year.
 Power producers give 60 days to discoms for paying bills for the supply of electricity. After that, outstanding dues become overdue and generators charge penal interest on that in most cases.
 In order to give relief to power generation companies (gencos), the Centre enforced a payment security mechanism from August 1. Under this mechanism, discoms are required to open letters of credit for getting power supply.
 According to the latest data on the portal, outstanding dues in October has decreased over the preceding month. In September 2019, total outstanding dues on discoms stood at Rs 82,548 crore.
 However, the overdue amount in October has increased over preceding month of September. The total overdue amount was Rs 65,155 crore in September.
 The September 2019 figures of dues and overdues have been revised upwards from Rs 69,558 crore and Rs 52,408 crore provisional numbers released last month on the portal.
 Discoms in Rajasthan, Jammu &amp; Kashmir, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu account for the major portion of dues to power gencos, taking a longer duration of up to 913 days to make payments, the data showed.
 Among major states, Andhra Pradesh tops the list with 913 days to make payments, followed by Rajasthan (912 days), Bihar (912 days), Haryana (910 days), Tamil Nadu (908 days), Madhya Pradesh (897 days) and Telangana (890 days) in that order.
 Delhi, a smaller state, takes 939 days to make payments to power gencos.
 Overdues of independent power producers amount to over 22.46 per cent of the total overdue of Rs 67,143 crore on discoms.
 Among the central public sector power generators, NTPC alone has an overdue amount of Rs 12,271.75 crore on discoms, followed by NLC India at Rs 4,413.94 crore, NHPC at Rs 3,178.42 crore, THDC India at Rs 1,883.54 crore and Damodar Valley Corporation at Rs 870.92 crore.
 Among private generators, discoms owe the highest overdue of Rs 3,201.68 crore to Adani Power, followed by Bajaj Group-owned Lalitpur Power Generation Company Ltd at Rs 2,212.66 crore and GMR at Rs 1,930.16 crore. KKS HRS

Discoms' outstanding dues to power gencos rise 48 pc to Rs 81,010 crore in October

New Delhi, Feb 16 () Power producers' total outstanding dues owed by distribution firms jumped nearly 50 per cent to Rs 88,177 crore in December 2019 over the same month previous year, reflecting stress in the sector.Distribution companies (discoms) owed a total of Rs 59,015 crore to power generation companies in December 2018, according to portal PRAA (Payment Ratification And Analysis in Power procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators).The portal was launched in May 2018 to bring in transparency in power purchase transactions between the generators and discoms.In December 2019, the total overdue amount, which was not cleared even after 60 days of grace period offered by generators, stood at Rs 78,174 crore as against Rs 44,464 crore in the same month of the preceding year.Power producers give 60 days to discoms for paying bills for the supply of electricity. After that, outstanding dues become overdue and generators charge penal interest on that in most cases.In order to give relief to power generation companies (gencos), the Centre enforced a payment security mechanism from August 1, 2019. Under this mechanism, discoms are required to open letters of credit for getting power supply.According to the latest data on the portal, outstanding dues in December has also increased over the preceding month. In November 2019, total outstanding dues on discoms stood at Rs 82,414 crore.The overdue amount in November has also increased over the preceding month. The total overdue amount was Rs 73,175 crore in November 2019.Discoms in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu &amp; Kashmir, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu account for the major portion of dues to power gencos, the data showed.Overdues of independent power producers amount to 25.45 per cent of the total overdue of Rs 78,174 crore on discoms in December.Among the central public sector power generators, NTPC alone has an overdue amount of Rs 15,695.65 crore on discoms, followed by NLC India at Rs 5,010.69 crore, NHPC at Rs 3,165.09 crore, THDC India at Rs 2,136.30 crore and Damodar Valley Corporation at Rs 822.09 crore.Among private generators, discoms owe the highest overdue of Rs 3,201.68 crore to Adani Power, followed by Bajaj Group-owned Lalitpur Power Generation Company Ltd at Rs 2,212.66 crore and GMR at Rs 1,930.16 crore.The overdue of non-conventional energy producers like solar and wind, stood at Rs 6,739.47 crore in December. KKS BAL

Discoms' outstanding dues to power gencos rise nearly 50 pc to Rs 88,177 cr in Dec

New Delhi, Mar 29 () Power producers' total outstanding dues owed by distribution firms rose nearly 32 per cent to Rs 88,311 crore in January 2020 over the same month previous year, reflecting stress in the sector.Distribution companies (discoms) owed a total of Rs 67,012 crore to power generation companies in January 2019, according to portal PRAA (Payment Ratification And Analysis in Power procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators).The portal was launched in May 2018 to bring in transparency in power purchase transactions between the generators and discoms.In January 2020, the total overdue amount, which was not cleared even after 60 days of grace period offered by generators, stood at Rs 76,192 crore as against Rs 51,453 crore in the same month of the preceding year. According to the latest data on the portal, outstanding dues in January has decreased over the preceding month. In December 2019, the total dues of discoms stood at Rs 86,948 crore.However, the overdue amount in January increased over the preceding month, from Rs 75,930 crore in December 2019.Power producers give 60 days to discoms for paying bills for the supply of electricity. After that, outstanding dues become overdue and generators charge penal interest on that in most cases.In order to give relief to power generation companies (gencos), the Centre enforced a payment security mechanism from August 1, 2019. Under this mechanism, discoms are required to open letters of credit for getting power supply.The central government has given three months moratorium to discoms for paying dues to power generating companies (gencos) in view of lockdown till April 14 to contain COVID-19 across the country. The government has also waived off the penal charges for late payment of dues in the directive issued earlier this week.Discoms in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu &amp; Kashmir, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu account for the major portion of dues to power gencos, the data showed.Overdues of independent power producers amount to 25.94 per cent of the total overdue of Rs 76,192 crore of discoms in January. The proportion of PSU gencos in the overdue was 39 per cent.Among the central public sector power generators, the NTPC alone has an overdue amount of Rs 11,007.50 crore on discoms, followed by NLC India at Rs 4,731.13 crore, Damodar Valley Corporation at Rs 4,614.49 crore, NHPC at Rs 2,548.85 crore and THDC India at Rs 2,129.53 crore.Among private generators, discoms owe the highest overdue of 3,421.68 crore to RKMP (RKM Powergen Pvt Ltd) followed by Adani Power at Rs 3,201.68 crore, Bajaj Group-owned Lalitpur Power Generation Company Ltd at Rs 2,212.66 crore and GMR at Rs 1,930.16 crore.The overdue of non-conventional energy producers like solar and wind, stood at Rs 6,618.20 crore in January. KKS KKS BALBAL

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