2023-04-14 15:42:12
New Delhi, April 14: The electricity subsidy provided to around 4.6 lakh residents of Delhi will no longer continue from Friday as Lt Governor VK Saxena has not yet cleared the file for extension of the scheme.
City Energy Minister Atashi announced this in a press conference.
Atishi claimed that the Arvind Kejriwal-led cabinet had decided to increase the subsidy this year, but the Lt. Governor is holding back the file.
“From tomorrow people will get expensive bills without subsidy,” said Atashi. I also asked LG office for time to discuss the matter but it has been more than 24 hours and I was not given time. The file has not been returned yet.
#WATCH | From today, the subsidized electricity given to the people of Delhi will be stopped. This means from tomorrow, the subsidized bills will not be given. This subsidy is stopped because AAP govt has taken the decision to continue subsidy for the coming year, but that file… pic.twitter.com/lYZ3lJ0Od7
— ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2023
Meanwhile, the Lieutenant Governor’s office has denied Atashi’s allegations and called it a “drama” by the Aam Aadmi Party government.
Officials claimed that Saxena had already approved the scheme on Thursday and sent the file to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday.
He criticized the Kejriwal government for not auditing Rs 13,549 crore given as subsidy to power distribution companies in the last six years.
The Delhi government provides free electricity to residents who consume up to 200 units of electricity in a month. Residents get a 50 percent subsidy for occupancy between 201 and 400 units, capped at Rs 850 per month. In September, the Kejriwal government made the subsidy optional. Consumers now have to fill a form if they want to get the subsidy.
The lieutenant general has not issued an official statement on allegations that he is withholding the file on power subsidies. However, officials in his office told PTI that in a note sent to Kejriwal, Saxena expressed surprise over the delay in conducting an audit of subsidies given to electricity distribution companies.
Saxena has said that the subsidies are public funds collected as revenue from the residents of Delhi and it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the benefits reach the targeted population.
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