In a move few months ahead of the Delhi assembly polls, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced free electricity for people consuming up to 200 units.
While Kejriwal termed it "historic", Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari dubbed it a "poll stunt".
Addressing a press conference here, Kejriwal said his government will give full subsidy to those consuming up to 200 units of electricity.
The provision for 50 per cent subsidy to people consuming 201 to 400 units will continue, he said.
"Those consuming up to 200 units of electricity in Delhi will not need to pay their power bills. There will be no electricity charges for them," Kejriwal, who is also the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, said.
The government will have to spend Rs 1,800 crore to Rs 2,000 crore on power subsidy annually, he said.
Assembly polls in Delhi are due early next year.
The AAP government's decision also comes after the party's drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls, where it was relegated to third position in five of the seven seats in the national capital.
"We hope that with this move, there will be huge encouragement for electricity savings in Delhi due to no charges for 200 units of power.The electricity load has been increasing in Delhi.
"Recently, Delhi's peak power load touched 7,400 MW, which was the highest. I feel that electricity load will reduce due to this move," Kejriwal said.
In summers those using up to 200 units of electricity is 35 per cent of total consumers, while in the winters the number increases to 70 per cent as the power usage is less, according to officials.
Official figures show that in 2018-19, there were 26 lakh consumers using 200 units of electricity while those consuming more than 201 to 400 units were 14 lakh.
A power department official said within 200 units, a household can run one TV (LCD or LED), one refrigerator (up to 200 litres), one washing machine, three fans, five LED bulbs, 1 geyser (for one hour everyday) for 30 days.
Since coming to power in February 2015, the AAP government has been providing 50 per cent subsidy on power bills for consumption up to 400 units of electricity in the city.
"People of Delhi have chosen an honest government. This is the cheapest electricity in the country. In the last four and a half years, the Delhi government has not allowed any hike in power tariff," Kejriwal said.
Defending his government against possible criticism of "freebies" before the assembly polls, he asked why no one was speaking against the "free electricity for our big leaders and officers in country?"
"I just want to give the same benefits to my 'aam aadmi' (the common man) who work for 24 hours," he said, adding that it is free lifeline electricity scheme.
Kejriwal said when his government was formed, the electricity sector was in a "poor state".
"Today electricity consumers are getting 24x7 electricity at cheapest rates in the country. Discoms' financial health has improved considerably, and electricity infrastructure has been strengthened beyond imagination and people no longer need inverters and generators in Delhi," he said.
Delhi BJP chief Tiwari welcomed the move but said it was aimed at political gains in the run up to the Delhi polls.
"Kejriwal is announcing freebies in view of the assembly elections," he said.
The Delhi Congress said when the party was in power, it was 24x7 power supply at low rates.
"Delhi people were being looted for past 16 months in the name of fixed charges. Congress leaders including late Sheila Dikshit had met Kejriwal over the issue, and later he said in a press conference that he would roll back hiked power tariff," senior Congress leader Haroon Yusuf said.
"It is a lie that Delhi has the cheapest rates of electricity and I challenge Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders who are misguiding people in Delhi. When Congress was in power, even then power tariff in Delhi was lowest in the country," he claimed.
On Wednesday, the Delhi power regulator announced significant reduction in fixed charges.
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