Ludhiana, April 11 -- 38,000 of 52,000 govt connections covered since the rollout began on February 15

Punjab's transition to prepaid smart metering for government electricity connections has gathered pace, with around 38,000 of the state's nearly 52,000 such connections already fitted with smart meters since the roll-out began on February 15.

The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is driving the shift to enforce payment discipline among government departments, which together owe over Rs.2,500 crore in pending electricity dues.

Officials said departments with the highest number of connections include local government (5,929), school education (3,894), rural development and panchayat (1,632), water supply and sanitation (1,6...