Come July, Jharkhand will be able to pay its monthly power bills online as well as at any post office or Pragya Kendra across the state.

Jharkhand Bijli Vitaran Nigam Limited (JBVNL), the state-owned subsidiary for distribution of power, on Thursday signed 11 agreements with various public and private sector units to extend better facilities to its consumers.

While the first agreement was with the postal department, the second was with the common services centre, which functions under the Union government national e-governance plan. To facilitate online payment, the JBVNL has inked a deal with Bangalore-based IT company SRIT.

"Energy bills can be paid at the nearest post office and Pragya Kendra or online latest by July 1. Earlier, we were committed to throw open these options to our consumers by June 1. However, delays occurred in inking agreements and hence, all facilities will be fully operational by next month," said Rahul Purwar, the managing director of JBVNL, after the agreements were signed at the state power board headquarters in Dhurwa, Ranchi.

Seven other agreements were made with private parties appointing them as rural franchisees for distribution of power, meter reading, billing, collection of bills and maintenance and repairs of distribution networks for Garhwa Nagar Utari (Garhwa), Japla and Chhatarpur (Palamau), Raj Kharsawan (Seraikela-Kharsawan), Dumri and Giridih rural (Giridih).

"The stress is on increasing revenue collections, and reducing transmission and distribution losses estimated at around 39 per cent, besides providing improved services to our consumers. Each month, we are purchasing power valued at Rs 340 crore and our collections are around Rs 220 crore, resulting in a resource gap of Rs 120 crore per month. By engaging private players, we are pooling in talent to assist us in shoring up revenue to bridge that gap," Purwar said.

The final agreement was inked between JBVNL and Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) to facilitate drawing of energy from the upcoming 1,980MW thermal power plant being set up by NTPC at Darli Palli in Sundergarh district of Odisha.

PGCIL general manager Rakesh Prasad, who signed the deal, said according to plans, the NTPC plant was likely to become operational by 2017. "The PGCIL shall ensure that transmission lines are in place by August-September this year so that Jharkhand can draw power as soon as the NTPC plant becomes operational," he added.