Ranchi, March 25 The Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission announced a 6.12 per cent increase in power tariffs on Wednesday, which will come into effect next month.
However, this increase will not apply to domestic consumers who are currently receiving free electricity up to 200 units per month, an official said.
Under the new rates, rural domestic consumers consuming more than 200 units will have to pay Rs 7.20 per unit, up from Rs 6.70, while those in urban areas will be charged Rs 7.40 per unit, up from Rs 6.85.
The revised tariffs will come into effect from April 1, JSERC chairman Justice (Retd) Navneet Kumar said.
The tariffs in rural areas have been increased by 50 paise and 55 paise in urban areas, he said.
"The Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) had proposed a 59 per cent tariff increase. After careful consideration, the commission approved a 6.12 per cent increase," he said.
For the commercial category, the tariffs have been increased by 50 paise for rural and 60 paise for urban consumers.
There has been no increase in the power tariffs for agricultural consumers, he said.
The commission also approved JBVNL's tariffs for public electric vehicle charging stations, which include Rs 7 per unit for solar hours (9 am to 4 pm) and Rs 8.70 per unit for non-solar hours (remaining period).
A two per cent rebate has been proposed for bills paid within five days of invoice generation, and a three per cent rebate on energy charges for consumers switching to prepaid smart meters.
The commission has kept the tariffs unchanged for rooftop solar PV projects at Rs 4.16 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for gross metering and Rs 3.80/kWh for net metering, the official said.
The JSERC has approved a distribution loss of 13 per cent, as against the distribution losses of 28.19 per cent, 27.23 per cent, and 25.60 per cent proposed by JBVNL for the financial years 2024-25, 2025-26, and 2026-27, respectively.
Leader of Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly Babulal Marandi criticised the power tariff hike, alleging that it would adversely impact many consumers.
"The government claims to provide free electricity up to 200 units, and on the other hand, it increases the tariffs for consumers who do not fall under that category to manage revenue shortfall," he said.