The Congress government’s flagship electricity scheme – Gruha Jyothi – is expected to benefit 2.14 crore (out of 2.16 crore) domestic consumers across Karnataka. Energy Minister K. J. George said the average consumption of these consumers is found to be around 53 units per month, per meter. Around ₹13,000 crore would be required by the government to fulfil the promise of 200 units of power for free.
Speaking to mediapersons in Bengaluru on Wednesday, June 7, the Minister said that the registration process for the scheme on Seva Sindhu portal will begin on June 15 and the window to apply for this year will close on July 5.
The guidelines for people who have either shifted houses or moved into a new house — who have not lived in the place for one year — would be announced in the next two days.
“As of today, the consumers for whom the 12-month average cannot be calculated, would have to wait for another year to benefit from the scheme, as this scenario is yet to discussed in the Cabinet. We will discuss it with the Chief Minister, and issue relevant guidelines within two days,” he said.
Those who have not recorded a consumption average below 200 units in the last year, but achieve it in the upcoming months, can apply for the scheme next year.
Additional Chief Secretary, Energy department Gaurav Gupta said that Aadhaar number, connection ID and rent or lease agreement (in case of tenancy), should be submitted while applying for Gruha Jyothi scheme. The benefits can also be availed by showing address proof on Voter’s ID.
The officials mentioned that it is mandatory for consumers to link their connection ID with Aadhaar number to avail the benefits of the scheme.
Separate portal (app) for receiving applications
The e-governance department is expecting to receive at least 10 lakh applications for Gruha Jyothi scheme on a daily basis, and is working on building a separate portal (app) with a strong server to handle the applications without glitches. The concerns about the Seva Sindhu portal being able to handle the number of applications which come through has been raised by many stakeholders.
Mohan Kumar, an online service provider from Dakshina Kannada, said the government must make necessary arrangements to increase server’ capacity to handle large numbers of applicants applying for the schemes.
