Bithur women power a change
BIG HIT Beg, threaten, snitch — women did everything to prevent electricity losses and ensure uninterrupted supply, a model the Rajasthan govt now plans to replicate
BITHUR (NASIRABAD): A chance conversation between 60-year-old Chhoti Hudda and Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje in May has lit up 597 households across Ajmer district and birthed a statewide plan driven by women to curb power transmission and distribution (T&D) losses.
The Bithur model, as it has come to be known, is a community driven initiative. Villagers monitor and raise awareness against power thefts, one of the biggest reasons for T&D losses. Elected representatives hold review meetings and the power department strengthens distribution. Together they cut losses and improve supply.
Now, back to where it all started. Hudda was sitting outside the Atal Sewa Kendra in Bithur in Nasirabad when Raje visited the village during a Nyay Aapke Dwar (justice at your doorsteps) campaign. She stopped by the old woman to ask if she had any problems and Hudda said, “There’s no power, no water.”
“Why don’t they have power?” Raje asked officials.
An officer said under a new scheme introduced in January, electricity supply is cut to those rural areas where T&D losses are more than 40%.
The CM turned around and asked the locals if they could bring the losses down. “It’s in your hands — you bring down losses, we will give you better supply,” she said.
The men were silent but the women took up the challenge. On May 24, they made all villagers take an oath against power theft, tampering with meters, payment backlog and turning a blind eye to power thieves.
The idea worked. By July 25, T&D loss at Bhimpura feeder, which powers Bhimpura, Devpura, Naya Gaon and Maliyon Ki Dhani, was down to 17%. The loss has remained under 20% since.
Local women say they motivated people against power thefts and when the men didn’t listen, women snitched on them to vigilance teams that conducted raids and nabbed thieves.
“People didn’t like us telling them not to steal power. Some told us to mind our own business,” says 32-year-old Kiran Singh of Naya Gaon. “But we were determined — if someone didn’t listen to our requests, we informed vigilance teams. Vigilance action instilled fear and everyone fell in line.”
The vigilance teams registered 12 cases of power theft and imposed a penalty of more than `2.5 lakh on defaulters.
Soon, the men joined in and public participation increased. The power department worked on renovating infrastructure and results began to show.
Punaji Khan, 50, a ward member of Bithur gram panchayat, says he formed a team with four others and convinced three families, which were stealing power, to opt for an electricity connection. “We got 20 connections done,” he says.
Bithur gram panchayat sarpanch, Salma Khan, says she held meetings in areas where the loss was high.
“We called the district administration and power department officials in those meetings and explained that theft was responsible for up to 14 hours of outage in our village. Some understood, some had to be pushed, but the result is for all to see,” says the 27-year-old.
Nasirabad sub-divisional magistrate Anupama Tailor says a survey before the exercise found 115 households didn’t have power connections. “We found people running borewells with a single-phase connection and some even ran them with domestic connections. You need a three-phase agriculture connection for borewells,” she says.
Officials say out of 47 feeders in Nasirabad, Bhimpura had the highest T&D loss until May; now it has the lowest.
“The department was losing `3.5 lakh every month in this feeder but now the loss is down to `1.5 lakh,” says BS Soni, power executive engineer, Nasirabad.
Shamin Javed, 21, of Bithur doesn’t understand the math but says she now earns more from stitching because of regular power supply.
The state government calls it the Bithur model of reducing T&D losses and plans to implement it across 5,000 feeders in all sub-divisions where losses are more than 40%. There are 21,000 feeders in the state.
The model is simple: People volunteer to become urja mitras (power friends) for monitoring and public awareness, elected representatives hold review meetings, and the power department strengthens the distribution system.
There are three power distribution companies in Rajasthan — Jaipur, Jodhpur and Ajmer — and their average T&D loss is 28%. The companies have an accumulated loss of `90,000 crore. Under the Uday scheme, the state has taken over `60,000 crore losses.
Rajasthan energy minister Pushpendra Singh Ranawat says if T&D losses can be cut by 6%-7%, the discoms will become profitable and an increase in tariffs can be avoided.
He has asked officials to adopt the Bithur model across the state. “To provide good quality power supply, we are improving the system and the mindset of people with their participation,” Ranawat says.
The minister says committees are being formed at the district and sub-divisional levels for implementing the model.
In Bithur, Hudda appears content, unaware that her meeting spurred a statewide movement. “Malik ne mila diya, naseeb ki baat thi (God facilitated the meeting, it was destined).” Feeders in Rajasthan, 5,000 have T&D loss of more than 40%
Thefts and distribution loss in the state
Consumption of electricity in agriculture
Distribution through three companies — Jaipur, Jodhpur and Ajmer Accumulated loss of three discoms. Under the Uday scheme, the state government has taken over `60,000 crore of the losses. Another `8,000 crore was reduced by releasing bonds to banks. The power department is paying an interest of `6,500 crore to `7,500 crore as interest to banks.