Bhubaneswar: In a significant move to streamline electricity bill payments at the Gram Panchayat level, the Odisha Government, in collaboration with Tata Power Ltd, has launched the Government Consumer Management System (GCMS) portal and a corresponding mobile application. This initiative is designed to ensure timely payment of electricity bills, improve transparency, and enhance accountability in rural areas.
The GCMS portal was officially inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo, while the mobile application was launched by Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Minister Rabi Narayan Naik. During the event, Singh Deo expressed his gratitude to the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, NIC, and Tata Power for their concerted efforts in developing this vital tool.
The primary objective of the GCMS portal is to provide uninterrupted road lighting and drinking water supply facilities across rural Odisha. With an annual expenditure of approximately ₹250 crore on electricity tariffs across all gram panchayats in the state, the initiative aims to tackle issues related to delayed payments and the absence of a streamlined monitoring system, which have previously led to arrears in electricity bills.
Developed by Tata Power Odisha Discom in collaboration with the Panchayati Raj Department, the National Informatics Centre (NIC), and the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department of Odisha, the GCMS portal is integrated with the e-Gram-Swaraj online platform. This integration enables panchayats to access, approve, and pay electricity bills swiftly—within a day—using a secure OTP system.
The system has already been successfully tested in the Dhauli, Dakkua, and Bhirshal village panchayats of the Bhubaneswar block in Khurda district, where it received positive feedback from stakeholders.