Over half of the people who are supplied power by BSES in Delhi did not pay any power bills since the Delhi government’s scheme that gives free power to those consuming less than 200 units of power per month was implemented.
According to consumer and consumption data of BSES, in February this year, 38.62 lakh domestic consumers in the city in South, West, East and Central Delhi were being provided power by the discom. These figures are based on an average per month.
In 2019-20, when the scheme was implemented, there were 35.88 lakh consumers. In that year, the percentage of consumers that fell under the 200-unit slab was 52%. The following year, it grew to 53.8%. In 2021-22 (till February), this figure stood at 52.8%.
Under Delhi’s power subsidy model, those who consume less than 200 units per month do not have to pay for the consumption. Those who consume between 200 units and 400 units are also given subsidy, which is based on the fixed charges for the load.
Between 2019-20 and 2021-22, the number of consumers grew by 2.74 lakh. Those who fell in the 0-200-units consumption category, meanwhile, grew by 1.71 lakh.
Households that got any kind of subsidy (for consumption of up to 400 units), however, grew more than the total increase in consumers. While the number of consumers grew by 2.74 lakh in this time period, the number of people getting subsidy grew by 2.97 lakh, data shows.
“This figure is important because it shows that there are a number of people who are striving to save power to fall in the subsidy bracket. This figure has seen an increase despite people working from home in different phases over the past two years. We also have to consider that Delhi’s peak power demand has been rising consistently and touched 6,000 MW on April 28 this year. This is the highest power demand in Delhi in the month of April,” said a senior power department official on condition of anonymity.
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