73% of customers still pay electricity bills at the counter, costing Rs 600 million a year to collect

Despite rapid advances in digital technology, 73 percent of citizens still stand in physical lines to pay their electricity bills, the Ministry of Energy has said.

According to the ministry, collecting bills at counters alone costs around Rs 600 million a year in operating expenses.

Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Birat Bhakta Shrestha released the figures and appealed to citizens to pay their electricity bills through digital channels. He said that even in the digital age, having most customers go to counters in person is a situation that must change collectively.

The ministry expects that if bill payments shift to digital channels, counter operating costs will fall and customers will be spared the hassle of standing in line.