CM to take a call on 200 units free power on Feb 22

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy-led Congress government will deploy safety mechanisms to ensure that financial sops, including free power up to 200 units and Rythu Bandhu, are not misused or overused, and as a result cause loss to the exchequer.

A high-level meeting to be held by the Chief Minister on Thursday will take a call on the free power supply to domestic users with less than 200 units consumption every month and supply of gas cylinders at Rs 500. Both the promises were part of the six guarantees promised in the manifesto that played a decisive role in bringing back the Congress to power.

Official sources told this correspondent that Telangana might go the Karnataka way where average monthly consumption of previous year would form the base for calculating the units that would be exempted from billing.

There are two models for the free power to the domestic sector – Karnataka and Punjab – available. In Punjab, the free power would be extended up to 200 units without any restrictions, while the Karnataka model will come with strings attached.

“There is a tendency to use more power than required during the implementation of the free power scheme. While fulfilling the poll promise of free power, the government should ensure that the scheme is not misused or over-utilised,” a senior energy official pointed out.

The department is said to have suggested that 10-20 per cent above the average monthly consumption of last year could be exempted from billing. For instance, if the average monthly use of a consumer is 100 units last year, he or she could be supplied free power up to 125 units and additional units can be charged if the consumption crosses 125. There is also a proposal where consumers should be charged full if the consumption crosses 200 units in a particular month.

Similarly, for the Rythu Bandhu scheme, the government already indicated that it would review the beneficiaries as many of them would otherwise be ineligible. In several cases, land converted into real estate ventures, resorts, left without cultivation or acquired for roads and other public purpose projects are still covered under the Rythu Bandhu scheme, and the beneficiaries have got assistance.

“As we don’t have adequate time for this rabi, we decided to deposit Rythu Bandhu based on the previous data. By the time of extending Kharif assistance, the government will clean up the beneficiaries list,” sources told this correspondent.