Harish Rao urges govt. to extend free power sop to all BPL families

Former BRS leader criticizes Hyderabad government for restricting free energy supply to only 30 lakh households, leaving out 60 lakh.

hyderabad

Former Minister and senior leader of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) T. Harish Rao has stated that injustice is being done to eligible households in the case of 200 units per month free energy supply promised by the Congress.

“Against extending it to all the below poverty line families, who number around 90 lakh and have white ration (food security) cards, the State government is covering only 30 lakh households/consumers on the grounds that they are consuming more than 200 units of energy a month,” the BRS leader wrote in an open letter addressed to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday.

Due to such restrictions, the scheme was being implemented and zero bills were being issued to only 30 lakh households and the remaining 60 lakh BPL families were being denied the benefit. He pointed out that the electricity authorities were issuing “zero bills” to only those white cardholders who were consuming up to 200 units energy a month. In case of the households consuming even one unit higher than 200, they were being issued bill for the entire consumption instead of units consumed beyond the threshold of 200.

The BRS leader sought to know from the government whether the BPL families should keep a watch on their energy consumption every day to see whether the energy consumption was within the limit of 200 units a month or higher or whether they should think to switch on a fan or bulb. He suggested the government to device a billing methodology/mechanism to charge only the units beyond 200 units of consumption to all BPL households.

Against the 30 lakh eligible households for the scheme in the city it was being extended to only 10 lakh households, Mr. Harish Rao pointed out. Further, he stated that names included in one ration card were living as separate families on the same premises but different portions. But only one of those families were being extended the scheme benefit.

Such arbitrary implementation would amount to betrayal of promises partially by the government, if not completely, Mr. Harish Rao said and demanded that the government streamline the implementation of its promises to all BPL families up to 200 units a month even if their energy consumption was higher.