Gruha Jyothi: Lakhs of eligible consumers deprived of State government’s free power scheme

In the districts of Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal, around 2.50 lakh eligible applicants still receiving electricity bills

Hyderabad: Even as the State government is making tall claims about providing free power of up to 200 units under the Gruha Jyothi Scheme, lakhs of consumers across Telangana are in a fix as they have been deprived of the benefit.

The beneficiaries claim that several eligible people were left out in the first phase of the Gruha Jyothi Scheme and the government has asked them to re-apply. However, since then a large number of people are not receiving zero bills.

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Sources say in the districts of Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal, a total of 19.8 lakh applications were submitted under the Gruha Jyoti Scheme as part of the Praja Palana programme. However, around 2.50 lakh eligible applicants are still receiving electricity bills, with no benefit being extended to them. A similar situation is prevailing in all the districts of the State. Officials have attributed this issue to incomplete data entry, which is preventing eligible consumers from receiving the promised zero bills.

As per official data, there are over 1,31,48,000 household electricity connections in the State, of which 1.05 crore households consume 200 units per month. Despite fulfilling all conditions, many eligible individuals are still facing difficulties in waiving their electricity bills. During the Budget Session, the government presented data indicating that 42.25 lakh people were receiving free electricity. There is no clarity on when the rest of the eligible beneficiaries will receive the benefits.

The State government has been issuing zero bills under the Gruha Jyothi Scheme since March last year. It is applicable to household consumers who have food security cards and consume less than 200 units. The Congress government earmarked Rs 2,418 crore for the Gruha Jyothi Scheme in the Budget.

Meanwhile, the State DISCOMs’ officials claim that they did not have any role in the selection of Gruha Jyothi beneficiaries and that the list was being sent by the government and they issued zero bills accordingly.

As per the government order, all applications received through the Praja Palana and other channels, and which are linked to Aadhar cards will be covered under the scheme. Consumers who are eligible for free power but receive bills from March can approach the local municipal corporation and municipal bodies to apply for the scheme. Upon verification, if the said consumer is found eligible, a revised bill will be issued as per the provisions of the Gruha Jyothi Scheme.