Why was The Gruha Jyothi program initiated by the Karnataka government?
The Karnataka government released instructions for obtaining free power under the Gruha Jyothi program on Monday. It is now necessary to register on the Seva Sindhu website in order to receive free energy for up to 200 units.
Rules of The Gruha Jyothi program
The rules state that the Gruha Jyothi scheme is meant only for household use and cannot be used for business purposes; Customers will get additional usage fees during billing, excluding free units provided under the program; If the customer’s units are smaller than the scheme-eligible units, there won’t be any bills sent; To take advantage of the program’s benefits, registration on the Seva Sindhu website is required; Customers must link their Customer ID/Account ID to Aadhar, and any outstanding bills from before June 30 must be paid in full within three months to avoid having their energy withdrawn.
The number of free electricity units that a house will receive under the program will be determined by taking the average monthly consumption of consumers (monthly average of 2022-23) into account. Only 10% more of the average monthly use will be available to the clients. In July, the plan will go into action. If a person uses the same amount of electricity as their monthly average or less in August, they are exempt from paying their electricity bills.
Budget of The Gruha Jyothi program
According to energy minister KJ George, the Gruha Jyothi free electricity program will cost 13,000 crores yearly and cover 96% of residences with electrical connections.
According to George, there are 21.4 million households in the state having revenue register (RR) numbers. He added that the government would figure out a household’s typical annual use and provide them a 10% usage buffer. “This residence is suitable for free electricity if it is within 200 units. A family will be required to pay for any additional units if its yearly average consumption exceeds the 10% buffer, the minister said.
Following the June 2 cabinet meeting, chief minister Siddaramaiah declared that no home using less than 200 units per month will be required to pay power bills. However, the government unveiled eligibility requirements on Monday. The set of rules is provided below.
Under the pretense of a “fuel and power purchase cost adjustment charge” (FPPCA), the Karnataka energy regulatory commission (KERC), which had increased the standard rate of 70 paise per unit of energy in the state on May 12, once more ordered an average rise of 51 paise per unit.
Siddaramaiah said that the Karnataka electrical regulatory commission (KERC), not the government, had made the decision to increase electricity rates by 2.89 rupees per unit. “We didn’t deliberate to increase the price of electricity. Karnataka’s electrical regulating authority has made a decision. It had previously been decided. We only put it into practice, he said.
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The Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA) issued a warning that if the recently announced increase in the price of power is not reversed, its members would shut down the industry.
The group has repeatedly urged the government to postpone all such increases that harm the business until the economy is back to normal or perhaps a minimum of a two-year period, but our request has been ignored, the president continued. “While we acknowledge that this administration needs some time to settle before making any significant decisions, such significant decisions involving the very existence of enterprise should possibly have been undertaken with somewhat greater consideration towards our contentions and situation,” the letter reads.
