Carrying out a number of new initiatives under Digital India Campaign to ease out the lives of the citizens of the State, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has started a new customer centric EMI facility on PSPCL electricity bills.
“The facility is now live on PSPCL website under ‘insta bill payment’ tab, which is available on home page of PSPCL website at www.pspcl.in,” said PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director Baldev Singh Sran on Sunday.
Sran said that after selection of bill pay and entering consumer electricity account number, consumer has to choose bill payment gateway (Billdesk or HDFC), following which the selection of Payment Gateway ‘Pay with EMIs’ tab is accessible. Various banks credit cards have been integrated like HDFC, ICICI, Yes Bank, IndusInd Bank, Axis, HSBC etc, and the EMI tenure range between three to 24 months.
“This consumer-oriented initiative of Punjab is one of its kind in electricity bill payments on electricity utility’s own web page in the entire country,” he said adding that instead of not paying the bills and living under the continued fear of disconnection of supply, consumers may opt for payments of electricity bills in EMIs, with period as suitable to them.
In this way, they may at least avoid disconnection of their electricity supply and its associated social stigma, said Sran.
Sran added that in this innovative scheme, rate of interest being charged for EMI varies from nine to 15 percent per annum depending upon the term selected, whereas late payment surcharge presently being levied in case of non-payment of bills varies between flat two to five percent for first 15 days default, based on category of consumers. Thereafter, interest is also charged at the rate of 1.5 percent for a month or part thereof, he added.
“In easy language, if a bill of domestic category of Rs 25,000 is paid through EMIs by selecting three months term on HDFC card, the total interest of around Rs 400 will be levied. And contrary to it, if bill is not paid within due date, then Rs 500 will be immediately charged for 15 days and Rs 385 will be further levied for each month or part month of default. Moreover, connection will also be disconnected due to non-payment,” he elaborated.
Sran said that the PSPCL is continuously guiding and providing assistance to the consumers to resolve their concerns and to make available trouble-free digital payment system.
“Any of the queries of consumers regarding digital payments are properly and promptly resolved. Due to such efforts, consumers are showing remarkable enthusiasm and confidence in digital payments and people of Punjab have made PSPCL the number one utility in digital segment, as uploaded on Union Power Ministry’s URJA portal,” he said adding Punjab is continuously at Number 1 position from November 2018 onwards which speaks volume about confidence of the citizens in digital payment system and its effective implementation.
