BENGALURU: Officials in the energy department are closely monitoring power consumption and electricity usage patterns as the list of consumers under the Gruha Jyothi scheme is set to be revised.
With rising temperatures pushing up electricity usage, many consumers are now exceeding the eligibility limit under the scheme, which offers zero electricity bill payment if monthly consumption is less than 200 units and with a 10 per cent average consumption buffer.
“There has been a rise in power demand and consumption. There has been a reduction in the number of consumers falling under the scheme. We are also assessing the number of consumers who have dipped from March 2024 to March 2025. This will give a clear picture and how the scheme should be managed in future,” said a senior energy department official.
In the state budget, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that Rs 10,100 crore will be allocated to the Energy Supply Corporations Limited (ESCOMs) for the scheme this financial year, up from Rs 9,657 crore the previous year. He also stated that 1.62 crore consumers are registered under the Gruha Jyothi scheme.
According to energy department data, the number of registered consumers under the scheme rose slightly from 1,72,31,251 in December 2024 to 1,72,79,199 in January 2025. However, the number of actual beneficiaries saw a marginal increase from 1,63,05,498 to 1,63,20,725 during the same period.
The state government released a subsidy of Rs 779.032 crore in December 2024 and Rs 785.54 crore in January 2025.
The total number of consumers who were delinked from the scheme stood at 2,19,886 by December 2024, and increased to 2,28,111 by 17 March 2025.
The official further said the total number of consumers eligible for the Gruha Jyothi scheme is 1,95,35,846, which includes LT-1 and LT-2 consumers.
“The number of people availing the scheme is changing. The calculation of the dip in consumers is accounted for based on the total consumers left after delinking. Also, the summer temperatures have started to rise from February, so we are calculating the number of consumers availing the scheme in February and March 2024 and February and March 2025, to know the actual position,” the official added.