615,000 Delhiites opt in for power subsidy till Friday evening: Officials

On an average, more than 11,600 Delhiites have opted in for power subsidy per hour, filing application with the discoms, since the process was launched by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

Around 6.15 lakh power consumers in Delhi had applied for the subsidy by 5.40 pm on Friday. These included 2,58,852 BRPL, 1,73,875 BYPL, 1,78,584 TPDDL and 2,351 NDMC consumers, they said.

The chief minister, at a press conference on Wednesday, had said power consumers in Delhi will get subsidy from October 1 only if they demand it by submitting offline or online applications.

He had launched a phone number 70113 11111 for consumers to give a missed call or send WhatsApp message to opt for the subsidy.

In the first two days, up to 5.30 pm on Thursday, around 3.4 lakh consumers had applied for power subsidy.

More than 90 per cent of 58 lakh power consumers in Delhi digitally pay their electricity bills.

Presently, consumers having up to 200 units of monthly consumption get zero bills while those consuming up to 400 units per month get 50 per cent subsidy. Around 47 lakh consumers avail power subsidy in Delhi.

The beneficiaries include 30 lakh who get 100 per cent and around 17 lakh who get 50 per cent subsidy.

The consumers will have to apply physically or electronically by October 31 to get subsidy for the month. Those who do not do so will not get any subsidy but will be free to start receiving it by applying next month.

In the electronic method, consumers can give a missed call on the phone number 7011311111 or send a 'Hi' message through WhatsApp. They will receive a link clicking on which will open a form to be filled for subsidy application.

The consumers will also get a form with their power bills that they can fill up and submit at their designated collection centre.

In next three days after the application, they will receive confirmation through SMS or e-mail that subsidy will continue for them.