New electricity policy: Free power for 100 units, fuel surcharge scrapped

Jaipur: The Rajasthan government, under Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s leadership, has introduced a significant change in the state’s electricity policy this year. As outlined in the recent budget, the government has decided to provide free electricity for consumption up to 100 units. This move has already started benefitting people like Ajman, who have been witnessing the positive impact over the past two months.
Adding to this noteworthy development, Chief Minister Gehlot announced another major step on Thursday. He declared that the fuel surcharge, a component in electricity bills, will no longer be applicable. This decision has been taken to ease the financial burden on the citizens. Chief Minister Gehlot stated, ‘I am pleased to announce the elimination of the fuel surcharge for all consumers across the state.
This decision is expected to relieve the state government of an additional financial load amounting to Rs 2,500 crore.’
To facilitate this change, the Rajasthan government will allocate a substantial amount of Rs 2,500 crore to the power distribution companies (DISCOMs). Gehlot emphasized that this decision is in response to the public’s demand and aims to offer relief to consumers, be it in the agriculture sector or in households. This announcement was made during the launch of the ‘Indira Gandhi Smartphone Scheme’ at the Birla Sabha Ghar in Jaipur.
This move comes after a recent increase in electricity rates just three months ago, where a fuel surcharge was introduced. Over the past few months, consumers experienced higher electricity bills due to this surcharge.
However, with the recent announcement, the burden is set to decrease for regular households and even for agricultural consumers, including farmers, who will now directly benefit from this policy change.