The Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission (JSERC) has approved a 6.12 per cent increase in electricity tariffs across the state, effective from April 1, marking the beginning of the next financial year.
The revised tariff will raise the cost of electricity for domestic consumers in both rural and urban areas. Rural households will now pay Rs 7.20 per unit, up from Rs 6.70, while urban consumers will be charged Rs 7.40 per unit compared to the earlier Rs 6.85 per unit. JSERC Chairman Justice (Retd) Navneet Kumar confirmed that the increase translates to a hike of 50 paise per unit in rural areas and 55 paise per unit in urban regions.
The tariff revision follows a proposal by Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL), which had sought a significantly higher increase of 59 per cent. However, the commission, after detailed evaluation, approved a comparatively moderate hike of 6.12 per cent.
For commercial consumers, tariffs have also been revised upward, with an increase of 50 paise per unit in rural areas and 60 paise per unit in urban locations. In contrast, the commission has maintained the existing tariff structure for agriculture consumers, offering relief to the farming sector.
Additionally, JSERC has approved a dedicated tariff structure for public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. The rates have been set at Rs 7 per unit during solar hours (9 am to 4 pm) and Rs 8.70 per unit during non-solar hours.
To promote timely payments and adoption of advanced metering infrastructure, the commission has introduced consumer incentives. A rebate of two per cent will be available on bills paid within five days of invoice generation. Furthermore, consumers opting for prepaid smart meters will receive a three per cent rebate on energy charges.
The commission has retained tariffs for rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, keeping rates unchanged at Rs 4.16 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for gross metering and Rs 3.80 per kWh for net metering.
On the operational front, JSERC has approved a distribution loss target of 13 per cent. This is significantly lower than the losses projected by JBVNL, which had estimated distribution losses of 28.19 per cent for FY25, 27.23 per cent for FY26, and 25.60 per cent for FY27.
