Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann stated his authorities is fulfilling a assure made to individuals of the state as from Friday every family shall be getting 300 items of free electrical energy each month.
Mann stated the federal government has additionally waived arrears of electrical energy payments pending until December 31, 2021 of all households.
He stated there was some confusion amongst people who arrears of as much as 2 KW have been waived however it’s being clarified that pending electrical energy payments of all connections until December 31, 2021 have been waived by his authorities.
The AAP authorities had earlier introduced giving 300 items of free energy to each family from July 1.
“Previous governments used to make promises during elections, five years would pass by the time promises were fulfilled but our government has set a new example in Punjab’s history,” he stated in a tweet.
“Today, we are going to fulfill another guarantee given to Punjabis. From today, each family in Punjab will get 300 units of free electricity per month,” Mann stated.
Giving 300 items of free electrical energy was one of many main ballot guarantees of the Aam Aadmi Party in the course of the Punjab meeting elections. The social gathering’s nationwide convener Arvind Kejriwal had promised free electrical energy as much as 300 items for the state in June final yr.
Kejriwal had additionally promised waiver of pending electrical energy payments and round the clock energy provide within the state.
In the month of April, CM Mann had stated if electrical energy consumption exceeds 600 items in two months, then a client must pay for the whole energy utilization.
But the Scheduled Castes, backward castes, below-poverty-line households and freedom fighters shall be charged only for over and above 600 items, the chief minister had then clarified.
Punjab has a two-month billing cycle for energy provide.
There are a complete of 73.50 lakh home shoppers within the state and of which, 61 lakh households are anticipated to profit from the 300 items of free electrical energy.
In the state finances, a complete energy subsidy invoice has been proposed at Rs 15,845 crore as in opposition to Rs 13,443 crore in 2021-22. Punjab offers subsided energy to varied classes and out of which, the subsidy invoice on account of free electrical energy to the farming sector alone is round 7,000 crore.
It additionally offers free energy of 200 items to SC, BC, BPL households and freedom fighters and offers energy to the commercial sector at Rs 5 per unit.
AAP chief and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Friday stated Punjab has turn out to be the second state after Delhi to offer free electrical energy to individuals.
Today is a historic day as Punjab turns into the second state after Delhi to get lifeline electrical energy freed from price. ‘Kejriwal di pehli (first) guarantee’ to Punjabis turns into a actuality, Chadha tweeted.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, whereas presenting the AAP-government’s maiden finances on June 27 had stated offering 300 items of free energy would put a further burden of Rs 1,800 crore on the state exchequer.
The AAP authorities is fulfilling its first assure made to the individuals of Punjab by offering 300 items of home energy provide monthly free to all residents of Punjab with impact from July 1.
This will convey large aid to Punjabis, who’re reeling underneath exorbitant energy payments, Cheema had stated.
He had additionally stated the state authorities had already deliberate to finance this scheme by slicing wasteful expenditure and thru enhancement of its personal tax income.
Meanwhile, Punjab BJP normal secretary Subhash Sharma referred to as the AAP authorities’s free electrical energy scheme “fraud”, saying that households consuming greater than 300 items of electrical energy must pay the whole electrical energy invoice.
“Lakhs of families are feeling cheated,” stated Sharma.
Source: www.financialexpress.com”