Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini stated on monday that the electricity bill will now be based on the number of units consumed and also stated that the monthly minimum charges for domestic power consumers have been abolished. An official statement quoting the chief minister said, "From now on, residents of the state will receive bills based solely on the number of units of electricity consumed, providing much-needed relief to electricity consumers."
Saini was addressing an event in Ambala while launching the additional subsidy scheme in Haryana under the "Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana."
Saini said that, under the scheme, a subsidy of INR 60,000 will be provided by the Central Government for setting up a rooftop solar plant for poor families who have an annual income of less than INR 1,80,000.
Adding to this, a subsidy of Rs 50,000 will also be provided by the state government. Although the cost of installing a rooftop solar plant is INR 1,10,000, the consumer will not have to spend anything from their pocket, he said.
CM has also announced the establishment of an additional 800 megawatt ultra super critical thermal power unit at a cost of Rs 7,250 crore at the Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Plant in Khedar, Hisar. And similarly, families with an annual income between INR 1,80,000 and INR 3 lakh will receive a subsidy of INR 60,000 from the central government and INR 20,000 from the state government.
The Chief Minister said that PM Modi resolved to start this scheme on January 22 from Ayodhya and it is now being implemented in the state of Haryana. Furthermore, the CM also took a dig at the opposition, criticizing the previous governments for playing politics on power issues.
"Politics used to be played on power issues. One (political) outfit used to ask people not to pay bill saying they will waive (outstanding amount) when they come to power... while another outfit used to ask for votes by promising round-the-clock power supply," he highlighted. He further added that the opposition failed to deliver on these promises once they had come to power.
Moreover, while adding that the opposition failed to deliver on these promises once they came to power, he further stated, "Politics used to be played on power issues. One (political) outfit used to ask people not to pay bills saying they will waive (outstanding amount) when they come to power... while another outfit used to ask for votes by promising round-the-clock power supply."
