Rajasthan govt defers recovery of power, water bills for various categories of consumers

The Rajasthan government has decided to defer the recovery of electricity and water bills for different categories of consumers to provide relief to people in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Congress government in the state, led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, has deferred the recovery of electricity bills for agriculture power connections till May 31, which will benefit nearly 13 lakh farmers.

Recovery of bills for March and April for domestic consumers using up to 150 units per month has also been deferred. They can now pay the bills in May. This will benefit nearly 1.05 crore consumers, according to a release.

Some other relaxations have also been given for industrial power connections and agriculture connections.

The state government has also announced a five-per cent rebate in the next bills for agriculture and domestic category consumers if they pay their bills by May 31.

The government will allocate Rs 650 crore to power distribution companies against this relief.

It has also decided to suspend the recovery of water bills for March and April for all consumers in the state.

Similarly, the government has decided to make complete payment of the state's share of premium for the Prime Minister's Crop Insurance Scheme for Kharif-2019 crops in a month so that farmers get paid for their pending claims.

Several other decisions have been taken in the interest of farmers in view of the crisis being faced by them due to the coronavirus outbreak.