BENGALURU: With the state government’s recent announcement that the Gruha Jyothi scheme will be revised, the number of inquiries for inclusion has increased. However, the number of applications has not increased.
According to officials of the Energy Department, “As per the revision, around 25 lakh consumers will benefit in the limits of Bescom alone. An evaluation for other Escoms is on.”
In all, 1,65,48,007 people have registered for the scheme till January 15. Of them, 68,41,494 are in Bescom limits. “While many are keen on applying for the scheme, we are raising awareness on saving energy. The scheme is beneficial as people are reducing energy consumption to avail its benefits. This will, in turn, help in energy conservation in the long run,” an official said.
At its recent meeting, the state cabinet decided that households that have an average consumption of below 90 units will get 10 more units upfront. Earlier, these households were getting an additional 10% over their average consumption. The cabinet noted that there are around 1.95 crore people in the state who use around 53 units of electricity. It also noted that there are around 69.73 lakh people in Bescom limits who use around 43 units and it will cost an additional Rs 33 crore to the exchequer.
“In the coming days, the scheme will be revised as per requirement. The focus is to reduce the burden on the grid and meet energy demand. There is no dearth of funds. The subsidy and zero bills that are being given to consumers are being reimbursed by the government on a regular basis,” the official said.