Pampha Bushal, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, informed that the Ministry will provide free electricity for household use up to 20 units a month. She said that that this provision will be implemented within a month as the scheme has already been endorsed by the NEA board. She said that the scheme would benefit at least 2 million impoverished households across the country.

Minister said that those households using up to 20 units of electricity will have to pay only the service charge which at present is Rs. 30 a month.

Minister Bushal said that the scheme would benefit at least 2 million impoverished households across the country. As per the new decision, those households using up to 20 units of electricity will have to pay only the service charge which at present is Rs. 30 a month.

She said that the ministry has also decided to provide up to 80 per cent concession in the electricity used for irrigation in farmland. She said the scheme was introduced to help growth in the agriculture sector and make the country self-reliant on food grain and fruit production.

She said 388,000 households will be benefited from the concession on electricity for shallow tube well.

She said the ministry was making a plan to reduce the electricity tariff to Rs. 11 per unit with a view to encouraging the use of electricity in cooking at the household level so that use of LP gas is reduced.