By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, Oct. 9: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Biraj Bhakta Shrestha has urged citizens to pay their electricity bills through digital platforms.
Presenting data showing that 73 per cent of citizens still visit counters to pay their electricity bills, Minister Shrestha stressed the need for everyone to work together to change the situation. He said the support of aware citizens was necessary for this.
According to Minister Shrestha, digital payments save citizens’ time and transportation costs, while reducing cash transactions enhance financial transparency and security. He said the financial and human resources currently engaged in operating payment counters could be utilised for other essential customer services.
Rs. 597.9M spent on operating counters annually
According to Minister Shrestha, around 73 per cent of electricity customers still visit physical counters to pay their bills. The annual cost of operating the bill collection counters for these customers amounts to around Rs. 597.9 million.
Minister Shrestha said the cost could be saved through digital payments and the personnel currently working at the counters could be assigned to other tasks.
“There are currently 655 tariff collection countres operating under the branch offices of 129 distribution centres of the Nepal Electricity Authority. Around Rs. 597.9 million is spent annually just to operate these counters, or around Rs. 50 million a month,” he said in a Facebook post.
“A large number of citizens still have to visit counters, and we should now change this situation together. Digital payments save citizens’ time and transportation costs. Reduced cash transactions enhance financial transparency and security. The financial and human resources used to operate the counters can also be utilised for other essential customer services,” he said.
Minister Shrestha urged citizens to provide information about digital payments to their family members, relatives, neighbours and others they know, and encourage them to use digital payment services.
He also appealed to citizens to help others pay their electricity bills digitally, starting today wherever possible. “Especially, teach your parents, senior citizens and relatives who do not know how to make digital payments. The few minutes you spend teaching them can save their time every month,” he said.
“This is not merely a campaign to increase digital payments. It is a collective campaign to save citizens’ time, make services more convenient, enhance financial transparency and ensure more effective utilisation of public resources. Let us teach one person to make digital payments today. Tomorrow, that person will teach another. Little drops make the mighty ocean,” he said.
The Rising Nepal
