BENGALURU: Those living in rented houses are also eligible for the ‘Gruha Jyoti’ guarantee of giving up to 200 units of electricity free of cost for every household per month.
As per the guidelines issued on Monday, if a consumer has more than one power connection in his name, only one will be eligible for this guarantee.
However, speaking to TNIE after holding deliberations with officials, Energy Minister KJ George clarified that the RR (Revenue Register) number, which is a unique identification number given to each electricity connection with a separate meter, will be considered. “So regardless of the landlord or tenants, they are eligible for the scheme provided they have a unique RR number,” he said.
He said around Rs 13,000 crore per annum is needed to implement the scheme. Customers who want to avail of the benefit should apply through the ‘Seva Sindhu’ portal. The average consumption for 12 months in the financial year 2022-2023 combined with 10% higher consumption not exceeding 200 units is the condition to avail of the benefit. Customers who cross 200 units will have to pay the full electricity bill.
The guarantee will come into force in August against the bill raised for the consumption of electricity for July. Zero bills will be given to such customers if it is less than the eligible units or amount.
The existing beneficiaries of Bhagya Jyoti, Kutira Jyoti Yojana and Amrita Jyoti Yojana will be brought under ‘Griha Jyoti’.
The scheme is applicable only to domestic electricity connections. The other conditions are - Bill entry for total electricity consumption while taking a meter reading every month and deducting the eligible amount of the household electricity user from the bill and giving the net bill to the customer for payment.
Arrears to be paid in 3 months
The arrears of electricity charges due at the end of June 30, 2023 (including the amount of bill issued in July 2023 for the amount of electricity used in June 2023) shall be paid within three months. If the arrears are not paid within the prescribed period, such customers will get their power supply disconnected. Installation of meter and meter readings for domestic electricity consumer plants made mandatory.
The government has issued the guidelines following approval for the guarantee by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s cabinet on June 2.
The government will provide subsidy to power supply companies (ESCOMS) in advance, including the subsidy amount related to the implementation of the guarantee and the subsidy related to the fuel and power purchase cost adjustment fee (FPPGA - Fuel and Power Purchase Cost Adjustment) to be fixed in the coming months.