NEW DELHI: L-G VK Saxena has ordered a special audit of power companies to look into the ‘pension surcharge’ levied in electricity tariff by Delhi DISCOMS which is utilized for the funding of pensions and related benefits for the retired employees of the Delhi Vidyut Board.
The special audit of the DISCOMS—BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, BSES Yamuna Power Limited and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited—will be conducted for the financial years 2017-18 to 2023-24 through CAG-empanelled external auditors.
The move came after the regulatory commission found a difference of over Rs 1,100 crore in funds collected by DISCOMs for Pension Trust during the last 7 years, Rajniwas said in a statement.
“During the financial year 2022-23, an amount of Rs 1,520 crores was received by the Pension Trust from discoms in the form of pension surcharge against a demand of Rs 1,930 crores,” it added.
According to L-G office, the special audit will help to track the actual pension surcharge collected from consumers in the national capital for financial years 2017-18 to 2023-24 and passed on to the pension fund.
Discoms levy a pension surcharge of seven per cent on the monthly electricity bills of consumers in Delhi.
“The main objective of this special audit is to track funds collected as pension surcharge from consumers and ensure that they are being properly utilised for the funding of pensions and related benefits for the retired employees of the Delhi Vidyut Board,” the statement said.