Addressing a press conference, Delhi Power Minister Atishi on Monday said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has ordered an audit of the subsidy being given to discoms to ascertain if there are any discrepancies. Atishi stated that the audit will be carried out by organisations appointed by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and that instructions in this regard will be released in two to three days.
During the press conference, the minister claimed, “A conspiracy is being hatched at a high level to stop free electricity being provided by the Kejriwal government. Files are not being shown to the chief minister of Delhi and the power minister, which shows that something is amiss.”
Atishi said that the chief minister has ordered an audit in the same to check if discrepancies and subsidies were being provided to the discoms to ascertain how much money was being used. She alleges a conspiracy ‘to stop free electricity’ and claims that files are not been shown to the power minister and the chief minister. According to her, “Government-appointed experts in discom boards were removed earlier and now questions are being raised if Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena is colluding with the discoms.”
Atishi further added that their government has no plans to revise the subsidy, it will continue without any restrictions to the consumers at the assigned loads. She learned of the LG’s Chief Secretary a file pertaining to 200 units of power subsidy on March 10. In 15 days, this was supposed to be delivered to the Cabinet. But, she asserted, neither the chief minister nor the power minister have received it for consideration.
The LG’s office denied the accusations as untrue and made it clear that it had not requested that the Aam Aadmi Party administration stop providing subsidies. The LG had instead asked for subsidies to be given to meritorious low-income individuals rather than private electricity corporations.
The debate over the city’s free electricity programme has grown more heated between the Delhi government and the lieutenant governor’s office. Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister, said on Saturday that the LG’s office was conspiring to scrap the scheme, but the office rejected the assertion as untrue and misrepresentative.
The controversy started when Power Minister Atishi claimed on Friday that top power department officials were working with the lieutenant governor’s office to obstruct the free power programme. A plan is being hatched to stop Delhi’s free power, Arvind Kejriwal tweeted in response. But we’ll never allow their plot to prevail.
“Then they say that Kejriwal fights a lot. A conspiracy is being hatched to shut down Delhi’s free electricity. But we will never let their conspiracy succeed. Arvind Kejriwal will stand like a rock to protect the rights of the people of Delhi. LG sir, later please don’t say that the limits are being breached,” Arvind Kejriwal tweeted.
The Delhi government’s programme allows clients to receive up to 200 free monthly power units and a 50 percent subsidy for up to 400 units. The government started an opt-in programme last year, and approximately 4.8 million people have already chosen to receive the power subsidy. However, the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission before the council of minister recommendation was to continue the subsidy only for consumers with up to 5KV sanctioned load, a move that could have saved the exchequer Rs 200 crore annually by covering nearly 95 percent of the total consumers availing subsidies. On this Aam Aadmi Party government alleges that they are attempting to discontinue the subsidy with this move.
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