Domestic consumers go online to pay electricity bills

The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation received ₹1,566 crore as digital payments in June compared to ₹1,403 crore last year.

The lockdown coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic has helped push domestic consumers towards paying their electricity bills using the online portal.

The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco), which has over 2 crore domestic consumers, received ₹1,566 crore as digital payments in June compared to ₹1,403 crore last year.

A senior Tangedco official said the number of consumers making digital payments went up to 37 lakh, whereas only around 29 lakh used the portal last year. Similarly, in May the number stood at 36.50 lakh against 30 lakh last year.

However, the amount collected fell to ₹1,115 crore in May against last year’s ₹1,643 crore. As online payment was safer, local officials were creating awareness among domestic consumers about it, the Tangedco official said.