By SKM
August 27, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Apna Meter Apni Reading — an innovative initiative taken by the incumbent regime, has started yielding dividends in redressing complaints from the consumers about the inflated bills on account of belated meter reading by ‘unscrupulous’ readers from DISCOs.
Now the Apna Meter Apni Reading facility has enabled consumers to take a photograph of their electricity meter on a specified date and upload it to the App. Based on this user-submitted image, monthly electricity bills will be generated—offering a technological response to long-standing issues such as overbilling, reading errors and delay in reading.
This is not just a digital feature but a solid reform in governance, which truly empowers consumers. With the prevailing questionable system, consumers are not able to keep an eye on their bills, but now they will also be the guardians of the reading process by using the Power Smart Mobile App. This App has been introduced in both national and regional languages—including Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtu, and Balochi—for ease of use.
This initiative has started doing away with complaints of overbilling and inaccurate meter reading only for those consumers who are using the required App after downloading from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
For those who have not yet started using this digital scheme, through the application can register themselves by using CNIC or mobile number and on specified date and time of meter reading, can upload a clear picture of their electricity.
One of the key advantages of the Power Smart App is its potential to protect subsidy-eligible users from losing financial support due to delayed or inaccurate readings. Officials cited the example of users consuming up to 200 units of electricity, whose subsidized bills total approximately Rs 2,330. If usage rises even slightly above that threshold, the subsidy ends and the bill can jump to over Rs 8,000. Through this app, it will be possible to ensure that the beneficiaries benefit from their subsidy by providing timely readings.
It may not be out of place to mention here how a digital solution of belated or estimated meter reading causing overbilling has been adopted by the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. We all know that the meter readers at present photograph consumers’ electricity meters, with data sent to the Power Information Technology Company (PITC) for billing. However, this process has faced widespread complaints of inflated bills and malpractice.
To address these issues, the Prime Minister presided over a key meeting on June 17, 2025, where the new digital scheme and its potential to eliminate overbilling were discussed. Under the new mechanism, consumers will be able to self-report their meter readings via the Power Smart Mobile App, which will be introduced in both national and regional languages—including Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtu, and Balochi.
The Power Division had been instructed to conduct a soft launch of the app immediately to iron out any technical issues before the nationwide rollout. The Prime Minister had given the Power Division one month time to develop a comprehensive plan for phasing out meter readers, however the Ministry of Power Division completed its task less than one month and on June 29, 2025 introduced the Power Smart App under the “Apna Meter, Apni Reading” initiative to make electricity consumers directly part of the system and promote transparency in the billing process. The Prime Minister of Pakistan on the same day of June 29, 2025 launched the same App by terming it a “revolutionary technology reform” to ensure transparency and consumer benefit.
Federal Minister for the Power Division, Mr Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari some days back in a parliamentary body explained that consumers can now take a snapshot of their electricity meters any time after 12 a.m. on the scheduled reading day and upload it through the app. If distribution companies (DISCOs) upload meter readings later the same day, the system — operated by the Power Information Technology Company (PITC) — will accept the consumer’s uploaded snapshot as valid.
DISCOs are now urging consumers to download the app and participate in the process. Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) CEO Engineer Khalid Mehmood has also appealed to consumers to immediately install the application, stressing that uploaded meter readings will be automatically received at IESCO’s system, ensuring accurate and timely billing.
Calling it a “revolutionary initiative in Pakistan’s power sector,” the IESCO chief noted that the app directly involves consumers in the billing process, making them key stakeholders in transparency and fairness. He has also directed IESCO officers and staff to create awareness at all forums to maximize consumer participation and achieve 100 percent accurate billing. Ends
