Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government Tuesday launched a website and mobile app for online payment of monthly electricity bills by panchayats.
Deputy CM KV Singh Deo along with Rural Development Minister Rabi Narayan Naik inaugurated the website and the app, named GCMS (Government Consumer Management System).
It was jointly developed by the Energy Department, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, NIC and Tata Power Ltd.
The government spends about Rs 250 crore annually on electricity bills for street lights and drinking water supply, among others, across the panchayats but delayed payments and lack of a streamlined monitoring system have led to arrears, officials said.
The streamlined process is expected to significantly reduce arrears and improve overall efficiency in bill payments, they said.
PTI