BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday decided to render over Rs 20,000 crore subsidy in electricity rates to domestic and agricultural consumers for 2021-22 financial year. Chaired by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the virtual meeting of the state cabinet cleared the decks for the scheme for domestic consumers, under which, a maximum bill of Rs 100 will be payable up to the first 100 units on monthly consumption of up to 150 units.
As for the SC/ST below poverty line (BPL) domestic consumers, whose monthly electricity consumption doesn’t exceed 30 units, Rs 100 will be payable on four monthly basis at the rate of Rs 25 per month. The cabinet also decided to provide relief in electricity rates to agricultural consumers. A flat rate of Rs 750 per horsepower annually will be payable by the consumers of meter-less permanent agricultural pump of capacity up to 10 horsepower.
A flat rate of `1,500 per horsepower per year will be payable by the consumer of a meter-less permanent agricultural pump with a capacity of more than 10 horsepower. Energy charges, fuel charges and fixed charges will be waived off on permanent and temporary metered agricultural pump combinations.
Further, free electricity will be provided to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe agricultural consumers of up to 5 horsepower having land up to one hectare. Energy charges and annual minimum charges will be waived off for high pressure lift/group irrigation consumers. In another decision, the state cabinet also approved the ‘Mukhya Mantri Ration Aapke Dwar’ scheme to ensure proper ration supply for poor tribal families in every village in 74 tribal dominated blocks of 16 districts.
The scheme which will be implemented from next month in the tribal development blocks (except in those blocks where model code of conduct is in force due to by-elections) will benefit tribal families in 7,511 villages. The days of each month will be fixed by the respective district collector for distribution of ration supply across the state.