People who have opted for the Delhi government’s power subsidy need not re-apply in the current financial year as it has been extended till March 31, 2024.
“The electricity subsidy that people chose in October last year will continue till March 31 next year. Thereafter, people would have to opt in every time before the financial year ends,” power minister Atishi said on Thursday.
The Delhi government had earlier said that people would have to renew their power subsidy before April.
The power department has subsidised 100% of the energy charges for domestic consumers consuming up to 200 units per month and provides subsidy up to Rs 800 per month for consumption between 201 and 400 units each month for domestic consumers.
The need to opt for the power subsidy was necessitated in October last year, after chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a change in the Delhi government’s free electricity scheme and made it mandatory for domestic consumers to apply for the benefit.
At present, households where power consumption is less than 200 units do not have to pay any electricity charges while the ones where consumption is up to 400 units get a 50% rebate.
As per government data, there are more than 58 lakh electricity consumers in the city, out of which over 48 lakh have opted for the subsidy.
Under the power subsidy scheme, Delhi residents were given the option to apply in both offline and online modes. They could do so through a missed call on a number issued by the department, a WhatsApp number or by scanning the QR code on their electricity bills.
