According to official statistics shared by the Minister, approximately 73 percent of consumers still pay their electricity tariffs physically at billing counters. Operating these physical counters across the country incurs a staggering annual cost of around Rs 597.9 million, translating to roughly Rs 50 million every month.
The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) currently operates 655 tariff collection counters distributed across 129 centers nationwide. Minister Shrestha pointed out that transitioning to digital transactions would not only eliminate this heavy financial overhead but also free up valuable human resources to enhance other critical customer services.
Emphasizing the wider benefits of the digital shift, the Minister noted that online payments save citizens valuable time and travel expenses while boosting financial transparency and security through reduced cash handling.
To bridge the digital divide, Minister Shrestha has launched a public appeal encouraging citizens to guide and educate family members, senior citizens, neighbors, and friends on using digital payment channels.
"Teach parents, senior citizens, and relatives who don't know how to make digital payments. Just a few minutes of your time can save them time every month," Shrestha stated in a social media message. "Let's teach digital payments to someone today. Tomorrow he will teach another one. Drop by drop, the ocean is formed."
