Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Your electricity payment vanishes into a leaky system. DISCOMs juggle power purchases, infrastructure upkeep, and unpaid dues—yet still bleed money due to theft, inefficiencies, and delayed support.
You're not just paying for your own usage—you’re footing the cost of someone else’s free power. Subsidized farm pumps and rural connections run on the back of your full-fare compliance.
Commercial and industrial users are hit with inflated rates to offset discounted electricity elsewhere. This cross-subsidy logic turns paying customers into silent financiers of state policies.
Power distribution companies operate in chronic loss mode, borrowing endlessly to stay afloat. Their debts deepen, bailouts continue, and you quietly pay through taxes and surcharges.
Free electricity schemes shift the burden upward. Every "zero bill" promised to one segment creates invisible weight on others—especially urban homes and small businesses.
State governments often drag their feet on subsidy payments. The result? Cash crunches that choke upgrades, stall services, and push operational costs higher for bill-paying consumers.
Smart meters, digital grids, anti-theft systems—they sound futuristic, but you’re already paying for them. And many of the promised improvements remain stuck in rollout limbo.
Electricity doubles as electoral currency. Waivers and freebies win votes, but the actual bill lands elsewhere—on the desks of full-rate consumers who don’t make headlines.
What you see on your electricity bill is only part of the story. The real cost is layered with cross-subsidies, inefficiencies, and hidden debts, masked by political math and policy inertia.