State-run power discom gives out Rs 15 lakh reward to citizens for reporting electricity theft in Madhya Pradesh

Jabalpur: State-owned power distributor Madhya Pradesh Poorv Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company Limited has given out rewards of more than Rs 15.5 lakh to citizens over 100 days for reporting power theft and other irregularities, an official said on Thursday.

After the company launched its app ‘V-Mitra’, 30,000 complaints were raised through it. Of these, 17,200 were verified, and irregularities were detected in 3,850 cases, the company’s public relations officer Pankaj Swami told PTI.

Rewards amounting to more than Rs 15.5 lakh were credited directly to the bank accounts of people in 3,150 verified cases of power theft or irregularities, without requiring any office visits, the official said.

He said October 30 marked the 100th day since the app was launched. During this period, the company raised bills worth Rs 4.64 crore against offenders and Rs 23 lakh was recovered from them, Swami said.

In areas where irregularities were found, penalties were also imposed on the electricity department staff. “A provisional penalty of Rs 3.25 lakh was levied on such employees, and Rs 26,000 has been recovered in 91 cases,” he said.

Additionally, 3,100 cases of new connections and load enhancement were registered through the app, he added.