Delhi CM announces – consumers using less than 200 units of electricity, get it for free
The Chief Minister of Delhi – Arvind Kejriwal has announced today, i.e., Thursday, August 1, 2019, to provide free electricity to the people of Delhi who consume less than 200 units of electricity per month.
The subsidy applies to all domestic consumers who have a sanctioned load of upto 5kW. He further announced that people consuming electricity between 201 to 401 units will have to pay only 50% of the bill. The move will cost the Delhi Government approximately Rs. 1,800 – 2,000 crores annually. Kejriwal also claimed that today Delhi has the cheapest electricity across India.
However, there was no change on the 3.8% surcharge on energy bills, which goes towards paying pension to former employees of power utilities. Also, the regulatory surcharge was retained at 8%.
The move gains significance as it comes months ahead of the State Assembly Polls scheduled to be held in 2020. The announcements were made at a Press Conference in Delhi. Targeting politicians, Kejriwal stated that if politicians and VIPs can get free electricity then why can’t a common man.
Speaking on the occasion – Arvind Kejriwal said, “Those in Delhi who consume up to 200 units of electricity do not need to pay their electricity bills. They will get a zero electricity bill. Consumers of 201-400 units of electricity will receive approximately 50 per cent subsidy.”
He further said, “People used to pay Rs. 622 for 200 units of electricity till yesterday, now it’s free. For 250 units they used to pay Rs. 800, now they’ll pay Rs. 252. For 300 units, they used to pay Rs. 971, now they’ll pay Rs. 526. For 400 units, they used to pay Rs. 1320, now they’ll pay Rs 1075.”
The move will benefit 33% of the consumers in Delhi whose monthly electricity consumption is less than 200 units. Besides, during winters, the percentage of consumers consuming electricity below 200 units goes up to 70%. Prior to this, Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) had recently announced the new reduced electricity tariff for 2019-20, reducing the fixed charges by upto 84%.
Applauding the decision Delhi CM, the official twitter handle of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tweeted, “CM @ArvindKejriwal makes a historic announcement for “Lifeline Electricity”. All Delhi households consuming 200 units or less power will now get a Zero Bill every month. #PehleHalfAbMaaf”
CM @ArvindKejriwal makes a historic announcement for “Lifeline Electricity”. All Delhi households consuming 200 units or less power will now get a Zero Bill every month.#PehleHalfAbMaaf pic.twitter.com/RUVhgvcdX4
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) August 1, 2019
Praising Kejriwal, the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi – Manish Sisodia tweeted, “Just like good education and health care, a basic quantum of electricity to run lights/fans at home is essential for that.” He posted with the hashtag #PehleHalfAbMaaf.”
Historic day for Delhi!
— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 1, 2019
CM @ArvindKejriwal declares Free Lifeline Electricity of 200 units to all
Every family deserves a life of dignity. Just like good education & healthcare, a basic quantum of electricity to run lights/fans at home is essential for that. #PehleHalfAbMaaf
However, the Delhi Chief of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) – Manoj Tiwari has slammed the move and has termed it as an election gimmick.
For the records, the cost of 200 units of consumption in Gurgaon (Haryana) is Rs. 900. The same costs Rs. 1,310 in Noida (Uttar Pradesh) and Rs. 1,400 in Mumbai (Maharashtra).
