The Ministry of Power wants states to bring electricity losses caused by theft and other technical reasons below 10% within six months, The Economic Times reported on Monday. Minister of Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal and other secretaries in the sector informed states about the deadline at a meeting on July 22.

Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar, which lose up to 90% of power, are resisting the move as pilferage and technical problems are a huge challenge for them. Tackling technical losses would require substantial investments to upgrade technology, a senior government official said.

Officials said the proposal targets around 4,041 towns. Ahmedabad and Vishakapatnam lose just 10% power because these reasons.