Indore: Government extends power bill waiver scheme till January 31

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Here is good news for electricity consumers who were eligible for the power bill waiver under the Covid-19 Resolution Scheme but could not apply for availing of the benefit within the prescribed time limit. The state government has issued orders for reopening the window for accepting applications nearly 20 days after the window was shut.

The development has come as a major reprieve for many consumers who could not apply for the scheme due to ignorance. They had approached the government urging that the deadline be extended when they came to know that they had missed the bus.

Accepting their demand, the government has extended the deadline till January 31.

The government also directed power distribution companies to publicise the scheme among the masses so that the maximum number of eligible consumers can take benefit of it.

Following the outbreak of Covid-19, the country went into lockdown in March, 2020. During the lockdown period, people facing a financial crunch defaulted on their electricity bills. In August 2020, the state government had suspended power bills directing distribution companies not to make recovery of dues till August 31, 2020.

The state Cabinet, on November 9, 2021, passed a resolution scheme for waiving of suspended bills.

Up to 40% off on suspended bills

The government has not waived the entire dues till August 2020. The scheme was for domestic consumers with a load of up to 1 kilowatt. If the consumer deposits the pending amount in a lump sum, 40 per cent exemption will be given from the amount of his/her original bill. The surcharge on it will be completely waived. If the consumer pays the dues in instalments, only 25 per cent of his/her dues will be waived. The government has also made it clear that it would pay only 50 per cent of the waived amount to the power distribution company. The remaining 50 per cent burden will have to be borne by the companies, themselves