Chhattisgarh updates 'half electricity bill' scheme to promote solar use

The Chhattisgarh government has announced the rationalisation of a scheme that allowed consumers to pay half their electricity bill, in a bid to boost solar energy.  

 

The scheme, launched in 2019, was applicable for domestic consumers with a cap of 400 units. The government has now revised the half electricity bill scheme by reducing the cap to 100 units per month, a senior official in the Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited (CSPDCL) said. 

 

The new cap will not affect below poverty line (BPL) households, which receive up to 30 units of electricity free every month. 

 

Currently, the state has nearly 4.5 million domestic consumer households, out of which 3.1 million households, or 70 per cent, consume less than 100 units per month. Out of this, 1.5 million are BPL households.

 

This move of the Chhattisgarh government is targeted at promoting solar energy and making consumers self-reliant. “Our target is not to bestow free or subsidised electricity but to make every citizen self-sufficient in the field of energy,” Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, who also holds the energy portfolio, said. 

 

By reducing the cap, the government also aims to propel consumers using over 100 units of electricity to install rooftop solar plants. 

 

Further, it has decided to aggressively implement the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Yojana, under which consumers installing rooftop solar plants are eligible for a maximum subsidy of ₹1,08,000, jointly provided by the Centre and state governments. 

 

According to the CSPDCL officer, consumers installing solar plants of 2 kilowatts or more will be able to produce over 200 units of electricity every month for 25 years, which exceeds the relief granted under the half bill scheme. The consumers will not only be relieved from the monthly bill through a self-generated supply, but can also feed surplus electricity into the grid and earn additional income.