INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
In March, DERC had hiked the fixed charges but reduced the per unit rates of electricity consumedNew Delhi: The Delhi government on
Wednesday announced its revised subsidy scheme under which power consumers using up to 400 units will pay at Rs 2 per unit whereas those
consuming 100 units will receive a subsidy of Rs 100 per month on fixed charges.The Cabinet of the AAP government on Wednesday decided to
extended its existing subsidy scheme with revisions that will benefit around 41 lakh registered connection holders in Delhi.The decisions
were taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that due to revision in
existing power subsidy scheme, the electricity bills will remain the same or will decrease in some cases.In March, Delhi's power regulator
Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) had hiked the fixed charges but reduced the per unit rates of electricity consumed, due to
which the AAP government's existing 50 per cent power subsidy scheme for the consumption of up to 400 units had varied."The Cabinet
approved the power department's proposal for revised extension of subsidy for electricity consumers consuming up to 400 units per month at
a flat rate of Rs 2 per unit.""In addition to this, the Cabinet also approved a subsidy of Rs 100 per month per consumer on fixed
electricity charges for domestic consumers consuming up to 100 units per month," the government said in a statement.The government said the
Cabinet has asked the DERC to conduct a special audit of subsidy amount through an external auditor to ensure its actual passage to the
consumers.Distribution companies continue to owe a cumulative amount of Rs 8,000 crore to Delhi government-owned DTL and IPGCL-PPCL,
therefore the subsidy amount will be credited to these government-owned utilities, the statement stated.
