Delhi’s new power subsidy scheme kicks off from today

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced this new power subsidy scheme last month. He informed that people can give a missed call or send a WhatsApp message on 7011311111 to opt for the subsidy.

The officials also said the domestic power consumers in the city eligible for the subsidy will not get it by default from October 1. Kejriwal had said many people want to opt-out of the subsidy scheme and those who do not require it should not get it.

Currently, there are 58 lakh domestic power consumers in Delhi, of whom, 47 lakh avails the subsidy including 30 lakh who get zero bills and 16-17 lakh who get a 50-per cent subsidy.

The chief minister announced that those who apply for the new electricity scheme by October 31 will get the subsidy for the month, and those who do not do so will have to pay their bills but can apply next month.

At present, Delhiites whose power consumption for people using less than 200 units do not have to pay any electricity charges, while whose consumption is up to 400 units get a 50 per cent subsidy. The CM said around ₹3,000 crore is spent on subsidy by the government.

Following this, Power discoms have sought clarification from the Delhi government on the disbursal of subsidy to consumers considering their different billing cycles. Sources said that discoms do not follow month-wise billing cycles.

“The billing of power consumption starts from the date a new connection is energised. So it is different for consumers. Supposedly, if a consumer starts consumption of power after getting connection from 25th of a month, his bill will be generated for a period up to 25th of next month,” said a source.

(With PTI inputs)