Power play: AAP pledges 300 free units of power in Punjab

Ruchika M Khanna
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 29

AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today announced 300 units of free power for each household in Punjab if the party is voted to power. For the youth, he said he would soon share a plan to end rampant unemployment in the state.

Unveiling the AAP’s agenda for the 2022 Assembly elections, interestingly, Kejriwal initially said electricity would be free only if the consumers consumed just 300 units. If it is more than 300 units, the consumers will have to pay for the entire power consumed. He was flanked by Raghav Chadha, MP Bhagwant Mann and recent inductee in the party, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh.

WHAT AAP NATIONAL CONVENER SAID ON

Farmers’ stir

We support farmers’ agitation. The Centre should accept the demands of farmers who have been struggling for the past seven months. Their demands are justified.

Scrapping PPAs

We will scrap these PPAs (power purchase agreements). Punjab is a power-surplus state. We can always buy cheaper power than paying hefty sums to private companies.

Sacrilege issue

It is clear that there is collusion between the two political parties. That is why the SIT report prepared by Kunwar sahib was dismissed. We will bring all guilty to book.

Later, as his statement drew a sharp reaction from various quarters, including his own party men during a meeting with leaders at UT Guest House, he retracted the statement and through a press release said his promise was to charge tariff on only those units consumed over and above 300 free power units. “With this, 77-80 per cent of consumers will get zero power bill,” he said, adding farmers would continue to get free power and industrial consumers the subsidy. Punjab already provides 200 units of free power to 15 lakh consumers belonging to Scheduled Castes, Backward classes, BPL and minorities. However, as of now, they have to pay for only excess power (over and above 200 units). The outgo on providing the free power is Rs 1,600 crore per annum. Sources in the power department say rough estimates for giving 300 units of free power to all 75 lakh consumers in the state are Rs 8,500 crore.

Stole our agenda for political gains, says Congress

Chandigarh: The Congress has accused the AAP of stealing its agenda of giving 200 units of free power to consumers. Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said days after party leadership asked the state government to announce free power, Arvind Kejriwal stole the agenda for political gains. Senior leader Raj Kumar Verka said the decision had upset the AAP, so it tried to pre-empt the Congress initiative. TNS

Kejriwal also said Punjab would get uninterrupted power supply, just like Delhi. He announced all domestic consumers whose bills were unsettled because of being inflated, will get relief as these will be written off. Asked about how a cash-strapped state like Punjab would be able to offer such a huge subsidy, Kejriwal said there were enough resources available. “Leaders here have only been supporting mafia. If we can provide free power in Delhi by increasing our revenues manifold, we can do it here as well,” he said.

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