The Ministry of Power has launched a web portal and an app called PRAAPTI (Payment Ratification and Analysis in Power procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators) in an effort to bring in greater transparency in power purchase transactions between generators and distribution companies (DISCOMs).

The app is currently available for download on Android devices only.

The main purpose of this initiative is to herald a new era of transparency in financial transaction in the power sector. The portal and the app were launched by Minister of Power, R.K. Singh.

Both the web portal and app will reflect the invoicing and payment data for many long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) from the generators. It will also benefit all the stakeholders by giving them month-wise data on the outstanding amounts of DISCOMs against their PPAs.

Image credit: Ministry of Power via tweet

Apart from this, the app will also help the users with information related to the payments made by the DISCOMs to the power generation company. It will also indicate the time of the payment.

Moreover, the portal will allow consumers to assess the financial performance of their DISCOMs and note if the generation companies are not being paid properly.

PRAAPTI will also help DISCOMs and generation companies in finding a solution for their outstanding payments. It will also allow relative assessment of the ease of making payments to various DISCOMs and  generation companies.

In March 2018, Power Minister R.K. Singh directed Rural Energy Corporation (REC) and Power Finance Corporation (PFC) to not grant loans to distribution companies (DISCOMs) which are making heavy losses (above 15 per cent) unless they chalk out a plan to reduce them. The minister had noted that many DISCOMs have been making heavy transmission and distribution (T&D) losses and it may be difficult for them to repay the loans.

Recently, Mercom had reported that the aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses for the states and union territories under the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) program increased in the past one year.

According to the data provided by the government, as of December 2017, the AT&C losses in 24 of the UDAY states and union territories stood at 22.73 percent. Out of the participant states, the DISCOMs of nine UDAY states and union territories underwent a huge spike in AT&C losses. These states are: Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Maharashtra, and Tripura.

Previously, Mercom also published a list of valuable apps for project developers, policymakers, government officials, manufacturers, and suppliers in the power and renewable energy industry.