The Delhi government on Tuesday issued a direction to power regulator DERC to conduct a special audit of discoms over power subsidies released to them from 2016 to 2022 to identify any irregularities and ensure transparency.
An order issued by Special Secretary (Power) Ravi Dhawan stated that in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 108 of the Electricity Act 2003, the Lt Governor has given a direction to the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) for conducting the special audit through Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) empanelled auditors.
The special audit of the discoms with respect to the power subsidy released to them will cover the period 2016-17 to 2021-22, stated the order.
The audit will ensure that the subsidies reach the targeted beneficiaries in the most transparent and efficient way, it said.
The audit of power companies has been taken up following the instructions of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi's Power Minister Atishi said.
A file for the special audit was sent for LG's approval on March 27. After getting the approval of LG today, the Kejriwal government issued a notification for conducting the audit, she said.
The Kejriwal government is confident that the special audit will reveal if there are any irregularities, and help improve the distribution of electricity subsidies in Delhi, she said.
"The objective of this special audit is to identify any irregularities in the distribution of electricity subsidies and ensure that residents of Delhi receive the benefits of the subsidy in a transparent and fair manner," said the minister.
The AAP government in Delhi provides free electricity to consumers with 200 units of monthly consumption. Those consuming 201 to 400 units get a 50 per cent subsidy, capped at Rs 850.
Subsidised power has been among the key poll promises of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in other states too.
Last year, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced power subsidy would be provided to only those consumers who apply for it. According to official figures, over 48 lakh out of more than 58 lakh domestic consumers have applied for power subsidies.
The AAP has government allocated Rs 3,250 crore for power subsidy in its budget for 2023-24.