K'taka govt issues orders to implement scheme offering 200 units free power to domestic consumers
Bengaluru, Jun 5: The Karnataka government on Monday rolled out the 'Gruha Jyoti' free electricity scheme, which is one of the five poll guarantees that the ruling Congress had promised in its election manifesto, and it will be implemented from July 1.
The guarantee offers up to 200 units of electricity free of cost to domestic consumers.
According to the order issued today, the government said the scheme will be applicable only for domestic use and not commercial connections.
Under the scheme, the government will take into account the one-year average power consumption in 2022-23 financial year and will give free electricity up to 10 per cent more than the average usage.
If a consumer uses about 150 units of electricity a month on an average, he can get free power up to 165 units of power. If he exceeds the limit, then he will have to pay for the rest of the units consumed, which will be the net power consumption.
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However, if the usage exceeds 200 units of power, the consumer will have to pay the full amount of the electricity bill. Consumers have to pay the arrears till June 30 within three months.
The electricity meter usage and the meter reading have been made mandatory. The total electricity consumption will be displayed in the monthly bill, the order said.
Every beneficiary has to link the customer ID or account ID with Aadhaar number. Any consumer cannot integrate more than one electricity meter with the scheme.
Those who want to avail benefit will have to enrol themselves in the 'Seva Sindhu' portal of the state government.
The government also mentioned that the beneficiaries of Bhagya Jyoti', Kuteera Jyoti' and Amruta Jyoti' schemes, which are various existing schemes offering free electricity to the economically and socially backward communities, will be merged with the 'Gruha Jyoti' scheme.
The government said the cost of the free electricity provided to the consumers will be compensated to the electricity supply companies.
Besides the introduction of 'Gruha Jyoti', the government also issued orders for fulfilling the 'Shakti' free bus travel for women scheme from June 11.
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Assam to lift all cases against Koch Rajbongshis in Foreigners' Tribunals: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Guwahati, Apr 4 (PTI): The Assam cabinet has decided to lift all cases pending against people from the Koch Rajbongshi community in the Foreigners' Tribunals, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
They will also no longer carry the tag of 'D' or doubtful voters, he said.
''There are 28,000 cases pending in different Foreigners' Tribunals in the state against people of the community. The cabinet has taken a historic decision of lifting the cases with immediate effect,'' Sarma said at a press conference here after the cabinet meeting.
The government believes that the Koch Rajbongshis are an indigenous community of the state and they are an inextricable part of ''our social and cultural fabric'', he asserted.
The people of this community are poor and have suffered a lot over the years, he said.
''They will no longer carry the tag of foreigners or ‘D’ voters,'' the CM said.
Foreigners Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies, particularly in Assam, established to determine if a person residing in India is a "foreigner" as defined by the Foreigners Act of 1946, based on the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964.
These tribunals are designed to address matters related to citizenship and the presence of “foreigners” in India, specifically focusing on cases where someone is suspected of being an illegal immigrant.
There are 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals across Assam.
The Koch Rajbongshis have a sizeable presence in Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and parts of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, and they demand Scheduled Tribe status.
