Bhubaneswar, Aug 13 (PTI) The Odisha government on Tuesday launched a website and mobile app for online payment of monthly electricity bills by panchayats.

Deputy CM KV Singh Deo along with Rural Development Minister Rabi Narayan Naik inaugurated the website and the app, named GCMS (Government Consumer Management System).

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It was jointly developed by the Energy Department, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, NIC and Tata Power Ltd.

The government spends about Rs 250 crore annually on electricity bills for street lights and drinking water supply, among others, across the panchayats but delayed payments and lack of a streamlined monitoring system have led to arrears, officials said.

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The streamlined process is expected to significantly reduce arrears and improve overall efficiency in bill payments, they said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)