Crisil to train power workers

The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) is likely to spend about Rs 1 crore on training programmes for its employees. The training, on the pattern of the Army's, is being finalised by Crisil.

Under this programme, the PSEB will be organising workshops all over Punjab in association with Crisil. This is being done to improve customer services.

At the same time, its human resources department will make recommendations to the board about the simplifying sales manuals, installing bill-collecting machines in all the divisions, redesigning electricity bills, providing infrastructure to create customer service centres on the pattern of New Delhi Power Ltd, and billing on the basis of readings taken by consumers and meter reading by the PSEB on a half-yearly basis.

Chief Engineer D B Arora said, "We will spend Rs 1 crore till March, and the budget may be bigger in the next financial year. We intend to train around 75,000 officials, from the chairman downwards. The programme on customer service orientation has been designed to meet needs of frontline employees in the power distribution utilities. The target participants for the programmes are in in-bound and out-bound communication with customers in the commercial and as well as in technical functions."

"Losses in Ludhiana stand at 11 per cent only. They are the lowest in India. We need to introduce information technology on a bigger scale and shunt capacitors to improve customer service."

The twelve-month consultancy-cum-implementation contract was awarded by the PSEB to Crisil for about Rs 35 lakh in June last year.