The Kejriwal Government has announced its crucial decision to continue providing free electricity to the people of Delhi. This decision comes despite efforts by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor (LG) to stop the subsidy scheme. In a cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, the proposal to give subsidy on electricity was approved unanimously under the leadership of CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal. This decision comes as a relief to the people of Delhi who have been benefitting from the scheme since its inception in 2019.
Celebrating the cabinet’s decision, CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal thanked the people of Delhi for their support and assured them that as long as he is here, they will face no problems. The free electricity scheme was introduced by the Kejriwal government in 2019 and has been a huge success, benefiting lakhs of households in the national capital. With this decision, the government has once again shown its commitment to the welfare of the people of Delhi. All cabinet ministers — Ms Atishi, Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj, Shri Gopal Rai, Shri Imran Hussain, Shri Kailash Gahlot and Shri Raaj Kumar Anand — as well as the chief secretary and senior officers of concerned departments were present during the meeting.
Delhi Power Minister Ms Atishi held a press conference along with Cabinet Minister Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj after the Cabinet Meeting. They announced that the state government will continue to provide free electricity to the residents of Delhi despite the attempts of the Central Government to obstruct the continuation of the scheme. She revealed that in the last couple of days the Central Government, under the pretext of the LG Office, has been trying hard to stop the free electricity that is provided to the residents of Delhi. She said that the government officers of the Power Department have said that they have been called to the LG Office, where senior leaders of the BJP were present, and they all threatened the officers to stop the free electricity that is provided to the people of Delhi.
She said that she had pointed out during the Vidhan Sabha session as well, that through the media the Delhi Government had found out that the LG Office had sent a file to the officers of the Power Department on 10th March. She claimed that despite constantly asking for the file, on which some suggestions regarding the electricity subsidy scheme were given by the LG, the Delhi Government did not receive this file. She added that this was intentionally done, because the LG Office had hatched a conspiracy to end the electricity subsidy that is given to the residents of Delhi. She further said that officially this file has still not been presented to the Delhi Government.
The Power Minister said that when the Cabinet note was to be readied like every year for the electricity subsidy scheme to be continued, the officers of the Power Department were forcefully called to the LG Office, where senior leaders of the BJP were also present and they all threatened the officers and got them to write a note on the files saying that the subsidy given to lawyers and farmers should be ended.
She added that despite all these conspiracies she was very happy to announce that the Kejriwal Government has kept its promise and in the coming year, just like in the previous years, the electricity subsidy scheme will be continued. She said that it was a commitment of the Kejriwal Government to not only provide electricity for 24 hours but also provide it for free.
Ms Atishi went on to provide the details of the four types of electricity subsidies that are given by the Delhi Government. The first is the subsidy to Agricultural Consumers — To provide electricity subsidy on existing tariff @Rs 105/kW/Month on fixed charges to agricultural connections in Delhi. The second type of subsidy is Subsidy to Domestic Consumers — To extend electricity subsidy, irrespective of the load, of entire bill amount comprising of fixed charges, energy charges, PPAC, all surcharges and electricity tax, utilising up to 200 units in a month, and to extend electricity subsidy of up to Rs.800/- per month, for the households utilising 201 units to 400 units per month.
The third type is the Subsidy to 1984 Sikh Riots Victims — To provide 100% electricity subsidy up to 400 Units per month, irrespective of the load, of entire bill amount, comprising of fixed charges, energy charges, PPAC, all surcharges and electricity tax and waiving-off of all pending electricity bills of 1984 Sikh Riots Victims affected families living anywhere in Delhi, except Late Payment Surcharge (LPSC) which is to be waived-off by Distribution Companies (DISCOMS) at their level. In the case of bills above 400 units, the entire bill amount of 400 units will be subsidised, and the balance amount of above 400 units is to be paid by consumers.
The fourth and the final type is Subsidy to Lawyers chambers within the premises of the Court complex in NCT of Delhi. This program includes three different subsidy levels based on the chambers’ monthly electricity consumption. For chambers consuming up to 200 units per month, the program provides a subsidy for the entire electricity bill amount, including fixed charges, energy charges, PPAC, all surcharges, and electricity tax. For chambers consuming between 201 and 400 units per month, the program offers a subsidy of up to Rs.800 per month, and subsidies their non-domestic tariff to a domestic tariff to make their effective electricity bill similar to a domestic consumer with the same monthly consumption. Finally, for chambers consuming over 400 units per month, the program subsidises their non-domestic tariff to a domestic tariff to make their effective electricity bill similar to a domestic consumer with the same monthly consumption.
She concluded by saying that she would like to congratulate the residents of Delhi for getting this important electricity subsidy that makes their lives in Delhi a lot easier. “I would like to congratulate the residents of Delhi and also thank CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal for keeping his promise despite all the conspiracies of the BJP-led Central Government,” the Power Minister said.
