The Delhi Cabinet on Wednesday approved a monthly subsidy of ₹105/kilowatt on the fixed charges for agricultural electricity connections, a Delhi government statement said.
The Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, approved the Power Department’s proposal for providing the subsidy. The ₹105/kW subsidy would be given to agricultural connection-holders for 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, the statement said.
The government will inform the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) of the decision, it added. The power distribution companies “will have to ensure that subsidy/relief is released only to genuine agricultural consumers/connections [sic]”, the statement said.
The government would release the subsidy amount to the discoms and a special audit of the subsidy amount credited vis-a-vis the amount actually passed on to consumers can be done by the DERC, the statement said.
“The agriculture sector in the country is already under distress and the Delhi government is committed to the welfare of the farmers of Delhi, therefore, this scheme has been introduced to provide them the much needed relief. The Delhi government is of the firm view that electricity is a basic requirement for farming and is required for irrigation through tube wells, thrashing and related functions,” the government statement read.