80% consumers benefitted from AAP’s free power scheme: Punjab minister
As per the mandate of the Punjab government, PSPCL provides 300 units of free power to state consumers per month starting July 1
Almost 80% of consumers who got their electricity bills this month have benefitted from the Aam Aadmi Party government’s free power scheme, Punjab power minister Harbhajan Singh said on Thursday.
As per the mandate of the Punjab government, PSPCL provides 300 units of free power to state consumers per month starting July 1.
Every week, PSPCL bills approximately 10 lakh consumers and in the cycle of July 27 to August 3, almost 77% consumers availed the benefit of 300 units of free electricity, a guarantee made by AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and CM Bhagwant Mann in the run up to Punjab assembly polls, the minister added.
“About 8 lakh out of total 10 lakh customers have got zero bill for the month of July. By this way, almost 80% of the total 74.5 lakh customers will benefit from this free power scheme. It’s the best way to provide relief to all sections of society,” said Harbhajan.
Among the beneficiaries are the majority of rural and urban poor and those who have electricity load below 7KW, said an official.
The power department notification entails granting free 600 units of electricity bimonthly (300 units per month) to all domestic consumers.
As per the notification, in case of bimonthly consumption of up to 600 units, there would be zero bill for all domestic consumers. This includes no energy charges, fixed charges, meter rent and government levies/taxes.
“Most of the users in the month of July have made judicious use of power and controlled it below 300 units. So far in the first week, benefits worth about ₹140 crore have been given to the consumers, and if the trend remains the same, a subsidy of around ₹7,000 crore will be given to domestic consumers,” the minister said.
As per the previous year figures of data consumption, PSPCL is anticipating that almost 52 lakh families will benefit from the free power scheme. However, with the first week of the new billing cycle, it is expected that the number will increase by another few lakh.
From October till March, the majority of consumers will benefit from the scheme as the power consumption pattern shows a nosedive after the middle of October.
The notification further has provision that in case the bimonthly consumption exceeds 600 units, the SC, BC, non-SC/BC BPL and freedom fighters of Punjab, along with their successors (up to grandchildren), who fulfil the conditions as per the self-declaration, will pay energy charges only for the units consumed in excess of 600 units.
Also, subsidy of ₹3 per unit (including government levies) up to 7KW for domestic consumers using electricity for residential purpose only and having sanctioned load up to 7KW in various slabs of tariff, is continuing, thus most of them got bill less than ₹300 against the previous bill of above ₹2,500, the official said.
The power minister said, “Not only have we given free power, but ensured a record electricity supply of above 14,200 MW during peak days without any power cut, which shows our commitment towards the public.”