Over 37 lakh consumers apply for subsidy under Delhi govt's free electricity scheme

More than 37 lakh consumers have opted for subsidy under the Delhi government's free electricity scheme, officials said.

Tuesday was the last date to apply for the subsidy scheme.

Earlier this month, the Delhi government extended the last date to apply for the power subsidy from October 31 to November 15. The scheme, so far available to all, will now be provided to only consumers applying for it.

The total number of consumers who applied for the subsidy was 37,13,179 by Tuesday afternoon. The number could go up slightly by the end of the day, the officials said.

BSES Rajdhani Power Limited had the highest number of applicants with 16,790,40 while 11,10,613 subscribers of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited also applied for subsidy, they said.

The number of BSES Yamuna Power Limited consumers who applied for the subsidy is 9,11,101 while 12,425 subscribers of New Delhi Municipal Council applied, they added.

Only 35 lakh of Delhi's 58 lakh domestic consumers had opted for subsidy by the October 31 deadline.

The applicants who have opted for the subsidy by November 15 will avail of the benefit from October 1.

According to government data, 47 lakh consumers received subsidies under the previous scheme. The number varies every month depending on the consumption pattern of individual consumers.

Of the 47 lakh consumers who received subsidies before the new system came into place, nearly 30 lakh were given zero bills and 16-17 lakh received 50 per cent subsidy, the officials said.

At present, consumers with monthly consumption of less than 200 units do not have to pay any charges while those with consumption up to 400 units get 50 per cent subsidy.

A power consumer who has not applied for subsidy can get it from the next bill cycle after submitting his application, the officials added.

For the 2022-23 financial year, Rs 3,250 crore has been earmarked for the subsidy scheme. The department's total allocation for the year is Rs 3,340 crore budget.

The amount earmarked for the scheme in 2021-22 was Rs 3,090 crore.