Himanta Biswa Sarma ends this ‘VIP culture’ rule in Assam: ‘From July 1…’

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday announced that he and the chief secretary will start paying their electricity bills from July 1.

Updated on: Jun 16, 2024, 22:27:21 IST

By HT News Desk

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Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday announced that he and the chief secretary will start paying their electricity bills from July 1.

“We are ending the #VIPCulture rule of paying electricity bills of Government officials using tax payer money. Myself and the Chief Secretary will set an example and start paying our power bills from July 1 onwards,” Sarma announced on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (File Photo)

“Beginning July 2024, all public servants will have to pay for their own electricity consumption,” the Assam chief minister added.

“We usually find that the electricity bills of the residences of our ministers and senior government officers or the residences of the secretariat were being paid by the government for so long. This is a legacy of 75 years, not a new system,” the Assam chief minister said in a video shared by him on X.

“No government, no chief minister, no chief secretary, the electricity bill used in everyone's house was being paid by the state government so far from the budget,” he added during an event.

Earlier in the day, Sarma unveiled the Janata Bhawan Solar Project, a 2.5-Megawatt power generation capacity grid-connected rooftop and ground-mounted solar PV system, at a ceremony held at the state Secretariat Complex in Guwahati.

"The state government had been paying around Rs. 30 lakh to Assam Power Distribution Company Limited every month for traditionally produced electricity consumption. The transition to green energy will help the government utilise its resources for the welfare of the socially and economically disadvantaged sections of society," ANI quoted Sarma as saying.

The chief minister asked every government office to adopt solar power in a gradual and phased manner. In the initial phase, Sarma called upon medical colleges and universities to make a transition to solar energy.

(With ANI inputs)

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