The state government will launch the Gruha Jyothi scheme at an event in Kalaburgi on Saturday. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, and Kalaburagi district in-charge and minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Priyank Kharge will formally launch the scheme which will provide free electricity up to 200 units, based on the consumption of every household.
Energy Minister K J George said that the scheme will benefit households which are hit by inflation.
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“In recent times, the prices of many essential commodities have gone up. But, the income of the common man has hardly increased. This will support many families to stay afloat economically,” he said.
So far, of the 2.14 crore domestic consumers, close to 1.42 crore have registered for the scheme and 1.41 crore consumers who registered before July 27 will be eligible to avail the benefits of the scheme on the first month of the launch. Of the 1.41 crore beneficiaries, close to 18 lakh applications were received from beneficiaries of various existing schemes such as Bhagya Jyothi, Kuteera Jyothi, and Amrut Jyothi.
Many consumers across the ESCOMs started receiving a zero bill on Tuesday.
Explaining how the new bills will be generated, Bescom MD, Mahantesh Bilagi said that a zero bill will be generated for every household that uses electricity units less than or equal to the entitlement units (EU) calculated by the ESCOMs.
“Based on the 12-month average consumption of the household, we have calculated the entitlement units that every household is eligible for. Those who exceed the EU but consume within 200 units will be billed only for the difference in the units of consumption. However, those who consume more than 200 units will have to pay up for the entire consumption,” he explained.
The beneficiaries of the Bhagya Jyothi and Kuteera Jyothi schemes are eligible for 53 units of free electricity, along with another 10 per cent of the units under the Gruha Jyothi scheme. The Amrutha Jyothi scheme beneficiaries will be eligible for 75 units and additional 10 per cent units under the Gruha Jyothi scheme. Any difference in use will be billed.