The Delhi government has confirmed that it will continue to provide power subsidies to all people in the city, following a note released by the Lieutenant Governor’s (L-G) office proposing changes to the policy. The note was issued on the basis of a recommendation from the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC), which suggested that subsidies should be restricted to poor and needy consumers consuming 1-5 KW of power, potentially saving nearly ₹316 crore per year.
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However, Delhi Power Minister Atishi has emphasised that there are no plans to discontinue the power subsidy for any consumer or change the basis of the subsidy. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is committed to providing 24×7 free electricity to the people of Delhi, and the power subsidy will not be altered, she said.
Atishi has also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to discontinue power subsidies in Delhi and that the L-G’s office is deliberately spreading misinformation regarding the subsidy policy. The power minister claimed that the DERC had withdrawn its prior advice regarding the Power Subsidy in January 2023.
“In these days of inflation, the power subsidy has provided a huge relief to the common man in Delhi. The working and middle class of Delhi are grateful to CM Arvind Kejriwal for this relief. It is the Kejriwal Government’s commitment that the power subsidy will continue,” she said.
The Commission had advised the Delhi government to restrict power subsidy to consumers with connections of fixed load above 5kW or 3kW, but after carrying out a detailed legal examination, it concluded that it had no legal basis or jurisdiction to advise the Delhi government about the withdrawal of subsidy for any category of consumers.
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The DERC order pointed out that its advice on the matter was legally incorrect and without jurisdiction, and it clarified that its previous statutory advice stands null and void. The power minister questioned the L-G’s intent behind the note, as the DERC’s detailed order was on file and the advice was already known to be legally incorrect.
The government has not received any note or file from the L-G office regarding changes to the subsidy policy, and the issue was only brought to their attention through the media. The power minister emphasised that the power subsidy has provided a huge relief to the common man in Delhi, particularly in these times of inflation, and that the Kejriwal Government’s commitment to the subsidy will continue.
