The North Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (NBPDCL) on March 13 reached the milestones of the fastest 10 lakh Smart Prepaid Meter (SPM) installation in Muzaffarpur and Motihari Circles and saturation of the first rural division.
The 10 lakh SPMs in both Muzaffarpur and Motihari Circles were installed in a record 14 months, marking a rare and commendable achievement. The NBPDCL also accomplished the feat of saturation of the first rural division of Muzaffarpur Urban-2 Division. This reflects the penetration and growing acceptance of SPM in the rural landscape of Bihar.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has given the instruction to achieve the mission of completing SPM installations across Bihar.
Praising the team of North Bihar, State Energy Minister Bijendra Yadav said, “The accomplishments were results of excellent teamwork and seamless coordination.”
Principal Secretary Energy Department-cum-CMD Sanjeev Hans, Tirhut Zone Commissioner, Gopal Meena, Muzaffarpur District Magistrate Subrat Kumar Sen, Managing Director, NBPDCL, Dr. Aditya Prakash, Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC) Ashutosh Dwivedi and Municipal Commissioner Naveen Kumar were present during the event organised in Muzaffarpur.
Congratulating the entire team and all relevant stakeholders on achieving this feat Mr. Hans said, “Bihar has done massive reforms in the power sector under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav. We have set an example in the entire country. I congratulate the entire team of Muzaffarpur and Motihari on achieving this feat.”
He further said, “The saturation of Urban-2 Division of Muzaffarpur Circle, comprising 91.02% rural consumers, is a shining testimony of growing acceptance of SPM among rural consumers of Bihar. Initially, there were apprehensions about the success of SPM in rural areas. We began with two panchayats in Sitamarhi and Bhagalpur and the results were very encouraging. We are planning to commission a study on the socio-economic impact of SPM in rural areas, its dynamic contribution in boosting our profit and cutting aggregate technical & commercial (AT&C) losses.”
In 2022-2023, the Energy Department achieved a profit of about ₹215 crore. In the financial year 2025-2026, the department has projected a profit of ₹1.,600 crore.
He also said that the benefits of profits earned by the company were being passed to the consumers.
“The Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (BERC) has recently reduced the tariff by 15 paise. We are gradually working to achieve the target of covering the entire 2 crore consumers by SPM,” Mr. Hans said.
In a novel experiment, the NBPDCL organised a Nukkad Natak at Patyasa village under the Ahiyapur police station of Muzaffarpur to disseminate the benefits of SPM among rural consumers.
The play was lauded by CMD and district administration officials. The street play busted the myths associated with the SPM and its benefits in bringing ease of life.
