Lucknow — Uttar Pradesh’s Minister for Urban Development and Energy, A.K. Sharma, announced the launch of a one-time settlement (OTS) scheme aimed at offering relief to consumers by providing discounts on the surcharge of their overdue electricity bills. The scheme, which is being implemented in three phases, aims to ease the burden on electricity consumers across the state.
The first phase of the scheme concluded on December 31, 2024. The second phase will run from January 1 to January 15, 2025, lasting 15 days. The final phase will be conducted from January 16 to January 31, 2025, covering 16 days. In total, the OTS scheme will run for 47 days, from December 15, 2024, to January 31, 2025.
Sharma stated that to avail the benefits of this scheme, consumers are required to register at their nearest electricity centers. They can register through their local departmental office, cash counter, Jan Seva Kendra, or by logging into the official website, www.uppcl.org. Upon registration, consumers will need to pay 30% of the principal overdue amount on their electricity bills dated until September 30, 2024. They will receive discounts on the surcharge for bills up to September 30, 2024.
The Minister explained that consumers will have the option to pay the dues in installments or make a one-time payment. The one-time payment will offer greater discounts. Domestic consumers with a load of up to 1 kilowatt and a principal outstanding of up to ₹5,000 will benefit from an 80% discount on the surcharge during the second phase for a one-time payment. A 65% discount will apply for installment payments.
For domestic consumers with a load of up to 1 kilowatt and an outstanding bill greater than ₹5,000, a 60% discount will be available for one-time payments, and a 50% discount for installment payments. For consumers with a load of more than 1 kilowatt, including commercial consumers, private institutions, and small and medium industries, a 50% discount will be given for one-time payments, and 40% for payments in installments.
Farmers with overdue electricity bills for their personal tubewells until March 31, 2023, can register for the benefit of surcharge relief starting March 7, 2024, and will continue to receive the benefit.
The scheme covers various consumer categories, including domestic (LMV-1), commercial (LMV-2), private institutions (LMV-4B), industrial (LMV-6), and permanently disconnected consumers. Consumers can choose either a one-time payment or installment option to avail of the discounts.
Sharma added that in the first phase of the scheme, a total of 17,20,651 consumers benefited, generating revenue of ₹1372.09 crore. This included 1,28,382 Never Paid consumers, 9,84,026 Long Unpaid consumers, and 6,08,243 other consumers. The beneficiaries were spread across various districts, including Southanchal (3,26,278 consumers), KESCO (4,591 consumers), Madhyanchal (5,01,844 consumers), Purvanchal (5,25,145 consumers), and Paschimanchal (3,62,793 consumers).
The Energy Minister also appealed to consumers to take advantage of the OTS scheme and pay their overdue bills in one installment to avail the maximum benefit. The scheme has been launched in alignment with the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi and under the guidance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The one-time settlement scheme aims to address consumer grievances, resolve long-pending cases, and encourage the payment of overdue electricity bills. Consumers are urged to register soon to make the most of this beneficial opportunity and clear their outstanding dues at a reduced cost.
