Shivraj Chouhan waives outstanding power bills of domestic consumers in MP

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said money paid by 4.8 million consumers who paid ₹189 crore under a samadhan scheme for power will be adjusted so that they don’t feel cheated

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said his government will waive electricity bills to the tune of ₹6,400 crore of 88 lakh domestic consumers.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told lawmakers that he has decided to waive outstanding bills of domestic consumers and refund. (PTI)

Chouhan told the assembly while replying to the motion of thanks for the governor’s address on Monday that the state government will also pay the interest of defaulter farmers will be paid by the government and raise the annual grant for MLAs for local area development to ₹3 crore from the current ₹2 crore.

“MLAs informed that pending electricity bills of Covid-19 period were creating trouble for common people. As you (MLAs) have raised the issue, I have decided to waive off the pending bill of ₹6,400 crore of 8.8 million consumers,” he said.

The state government had earlier introduced Samadhan Scheme to clear the pending electricity bills and 4.8 million consumers deposited ₹189 crore. These consumers can feel cheated so we have decided to adjust their payment in future bills, the chief minister said.

Announcing the waiver on accumulated interest on farm loans, the chief minister said, “Farmers, who were declared defaulters due to the farm loan waiver scheme of the previous Congress-led state government, are facing the burden of increased interest on the amount. To help the farmers, we have decided to waive off the interest. The farmers can get relief by paying back the loan.”

The chief minister also announced an increase in the annual MLA fund from ₹2 crore to ₹3 crore so that lawmakers can work effectively in their constituencies.

Leader of opposition and Congress leader, Kamal Nath, said, “CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan is an expert in making announcements that his government will never fulfil. In the past 17 years, we have seen only announcements not any serious move for residents of MP.”