Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan (File photo)
With elections months away, nearly 40,000 employees of three electricity distribution companies in Madhya Pradesh are now engaged in an exercise aimed at providing subsidised power and waiving pending dues of lakhs of unorganised labourers and families below the poverty line (BPL).
The two schemes under the Mukhya Mantri Jan Kalyan (Sambal) Yojana are now the priority for the BJP government, with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asking divisional commissioners and district collectors to go the extra mile and hold daily review meetings.
Chouhan said he would himself speak to four district collectors every day. The waiver is expected to cost the government nearly Rs 1,800 crore. It is estimated to cover 77 lakh unorganised labourers and BPL families.
On Wednesday, events will be held in all 51 districts of MP to hand over electricity bill waiver certificates, and to register new beneficiaries. Sources in the Energy Department said certificates amounting to waiver of Rs 5.32 crore electricity dues will be distributed on Wednesday.
Elected representatives have been told to follow the day’s events with Assembly constituency-level programmes later to ensure that every potential beneficiary is covered. Chouhan said there is no deadline to include beneficiaries.
The subsidised power scheme meant for unorganised labourers will cost the government nearly Rs 1,000 crore in subsidy, it is understood. The Labour Department has registered 1.83 crore unorganised workers in the state over the last few months. The 2011 census put MP’s population at 7.26 crore.
Under the subsidised power scheme, beneficiaries will get power at a flat monthly rate of Rs 200. If consumption is less than that, they will pay the actual amount. If it exceeds Rs 200, the remainder will be subsidised by the government.