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Around 56% or 32 lakh electricity consumers across the national capital have ‘opted’ for the Delhi government’s power subsidy scheme so far, said officials.
People receive a 100% subsidy for consuming less than 200 units and a 50% subsidy up to Rs 800 for consuming up to 400 units. The Delhi government recently made it mandatory for people to opt-in for the subsidy to continue getting benefits. Those who don’t ask for it, will not get it.
According to officials, till October 22, about 32 lakh people applied for the scheme. A break-up of data with the government of people who applied until October 19 shows that BRPL received 14,38,355 applications, BYPL 7,62,335, and TPDDL 9,11,509. The NDMC, which covers the Lutyens’ Zone under its jurisdiction, received 9,851 applications.
“People still have time to apply. They can apply till October 31 and get a subsidised bill for the October billing cycle. There is a helpline number — 7011311111 — on which people can give a missed call and apply. Besides, opt in forms are also being sent to consumers along with the electricity bill both offline and online,” said an official.
The decision to make the scheme optional came after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal came under criticism over giving “freebies” to the public. “Some people questioned why they were being given subsidies when they could pay electricity bills; they demanded that they should be given the option of accepting or declining the subsidy. Under the old scheme, everyone will get the electricity subsidy till September 30, but starting from October 1, only those who opt-in will get it,” Kejriwal had said.
Consumers can opt for subsidy by filling a form either online or in-person at the discom office. If they miss the October 31 date, consumers can apply in the next month before the billing cycle. Once a person applies for a subsidy, their option will have to be renewed once every year.
There are 56,98,180 domestic consumers in Delhi who are eligible for a power subsidy under the government’s scheme. Before the opt-in scheme, 47 lakh got the subsidy — 30 lakh got zero bills and 16-17 lakh got half the bill.
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