Come October 1, Delhi electricity subsidy for only those who opt for it: Kejriwal

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said that from October 1, people in Delhi can opt for electricity subsidy and the same will be provided to them.

Speaking on a press briefing, Kejriwal said, "'The Delhi government will now ask people whether they want to avail subsidy on electricity. From October 1, only those consumers who opt for it will be provided the subsidy."

Currently, Delhi consumers get ''zero'' power bill up to 200 units of electricity and a subsidy of Rs 800 on consuming 201 to 400 units of power per month.

The process of asking and giving the people a choice to opt for subsidised or non-subsidised electricity will begin very soon, Kejriwal said.

Delhi government has allocated Rs 3,250 crore for payment of subsidy under the scheme in 2022-23. In 2020-21, the government had set aside Rs 3,090 as subsidy under the scheme.

''The Delhi government will now ask the people whether they want to avail subsidy on electricity. From October 1, only those consumers who opt for it will be provided the subsidy,'' the chief minister said.

''Over the years, the government has received many suggestions through letters as well as in-person interactions with us, acknowledging their privilege and the fact that some financially stable citizens and families do not have a need for these subsidies,'' he added.

The cabinet in a meeting chaired by Kejriwal approved the proposal of the power department to continue the electricity subsidy scheme in the fiscal year 2022-23.

Continuation of this scheme is expected to benefit 47,11,176 families.

Moreover, Kejriwal also announced that the Delhi Cabinet approved a start-up policy which seeks to provide the youth with financial and procedural help in setting up companies and formed a 20-member task force for the purpose.

He also said the ''Business Blaster'' programme, currently being run in Delhi government schools, will be extended to college students so they could work on their business ideas with seed money from the government.

''The government will provide financial help to start-ups through collateral-free loan, financial parts of rent and employee salaries. It will form a panel of agencies and experts to provide free help to new start-ups in trademark registration and fulfilling other formalities,'' he said.

The 20-member task force, having a government officer, academics and business and trade representatives, will decide on registration applications from start-ups, Kejriwal said and expressed hope that the policy will lead to a boom in the start-up sector in Delhi.