Power Minister of Tripura,  Ratan Lal Nath on Monday accused opposition parties of misleading the people of the state over installation of smart electric meters

Addressing a press conference at state headquarters of BJP in Agartala on Monday afternoon addressing growing concerns over recent electricity bill hikes and the ongoing installation of smart meters across the state, Nath said that the moves are both necessary and in line with national policy.

He said that intentionally, the opposition parties are spreading misinformation to mislead people. There’s a difference between electricity tariff and billing. Tariff changes are done based on proper regulatory procedure—not arbitrarily, said Nath .

Highlighting data of tariff hike during the previous government, Nath pointed out that during the Left Front’s rule, electricity tariffs increased sharply by 116.03% over their last seven years, while under the current BJP-led government, the collective increase over the last seven years has been 24.93%. “

In the year 2010, there was a 62% tariff hike. In 2013, it went up again by Rs1.46 per unit. These decisions were taken under the Left regime and a total of 116.03% hike in power tariff recorded during the last seven years rule of Left Front governments.

Nath added that in 2020-21, a rebate of 2.34% was given, followed by hikes of 7% in 2023-24 and 7.15% in 2024-25. This year’s hike is 10.78%, still within the 25% limit set by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Smart meters are being installed in accordance with the amended Electricity Act, 2003 (Section 55(2)), which given permission for installation of prepaid smart metering across all communication-enabled areas by July 17, 2027, as per Central Government guidelines, said Nath and added that so far, 94,075 smart meters have been installed so far across the state. He said that households using smart meters can save up to Rs 5,000 annually.

Tripura has 10.26 lakh electricity consumers, of which meters have already been installed in every minister’s residence and offices and at houses of 2,700 Power department staff, said Nath and added that till Sunday (July 13), a total of 94,000 smart meters were installed in Tripura.

Now, under the Rights of Consumers rules, no new connection can be given without a smart prepaid meter. It is the safest and most transparent for genuine consumers, Nath said.

Responding to complaints about increased bills, the Nath provided actual bill examples: A household using 159 units should be billed Rs 1,136. They pay only Rs 1,000 due to Rs 86 subsidy and Rs50 rebate. The remaining Rs123 is due to the new tariff, with an additional Rs 100 as arrears; and A consumer using 412 units faces a bill of Rs 3,241 but pays Rs3,005 after a Rs 86 subsidy, Rs 150 rebate, and may get Rs 10 more off if opting for digital billing. The remaining Rs 318 covers past arrears.

Nath clarified that 1 unit of electricity costs Rs 10.67 to produce, while the state collects only Rs 7.86 per unit from consumers. “Even after the 77 paisa increase, a gap of Rs 2.05 per unit remains. The Commission has mandated that the increase not exceed 25 percent, said Power Minister.

Nath added that from October, 2025, high-tension (HT) and low-tension (LT) lines will go underground in areas like Agartala, Khumulwng, Dharmanagar and Udaipur to improve service reliability and reduce power losses.

Nath also said that despite challenges, power department are working for consumer benefit and Smart meters and practical tariffs are part of a long-term solution for consumers.

During the press meet, spokesperson of BJP, Subrata Chakraborty and Media In-Charge Sunit Sarkar were present.