Shimla: Reaffirming the government’s commitment to a complete systemic overhaul, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today stated that the recent digital and administrative reforms in the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) are testament to the ongoing “Vyavastha Parivartan” in the state. By prioritizing transparent procurement and technological self-reliance, the state is not only enhancing consumer services but also heading towards financial prudence.
“State government’s motive is clear, it is to change the system, not just to run it” he reiterated. By breaking the old patterns of high-cost outsourcing and introducing competitive transparent bidding, the annual support costs for electricity billing and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has been slashed by nearly 46 percent. He said that the annual cost for support services now stands at Rs. 6.68 crore, down from the previous Rs.12.29 crore, said the Chief Minister.
This initiative will result in a direct saving of approximately Rs. 5.61 crore annually, totaling Rs.16.83 crore over three years. These are public resources that will now be redirected toward the welfare of the people of Himachal, rather than being drained by inefficient legacy contracts, the CM remarked.
Emphasizing the importance of Ease of Living, the Chief Minister noted that the digitization of HPSEBL was designed to empower the nearly 29 lakh domestic and industrial consumers across the state. “The Government was committed to bring governance to the doorsteps of the citizens. From online applications for new connections to smart billing and prepaid services, it is being ensured that the common man no longer has to navigate bureaucratic hurdles for basic utilities,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that HPSEBL has strengthened consumer services through end-to-end digitization, enabling online applications, bill payments, complaint registration and faster grievance redressal, thereby reducing delays and enhancing transparency. He added that to improve the Board’s financial health, the State Government was focusing on reducing AT&C losses, ensuring timely billing and collections through smart and prepaid metering, plugging revenue leakages and rationalizing operational costs.
He added that rationalization of operational expenditure, improved power purchase planning and adoption of data-driven decision-making would further augment the Board’s financial sustainability, ensuring uninterrupted and quality power supply across Himachal Pradesh.
“Vyavastha Parivartan is about making institutions self-reliant and accountable. By integrating advanced technology like Business Intelligence (BI) and AI-ready platforms into our state operations, the present Government is building a foundation for a modern, prosperous and self-sufficient Himachal Pradesh by 2027,” the Chief Minister reiterated.
