PATNA: CM Nitish Kumar on Friday reiterated that the state govt has no intention to provide free electricity to either rural or urban domestic consumers, as it would neither be in the interest of the govt nor in the interest of security of the consumers themselves.
The CM asserted this while intervening in the govt’s reply that was being given by energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav to the House debate on the energy department’s budgetary allocation of Rs11,422.67 crore for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
Also, the CM made the intervention in the nick of time when opposition members of the assembly rose at their seats to walk out of the House, raising the demand for free electricity to farmers and other power consumers.
“Do sit down and listen. I have said it in the past and say it again that free electricity will not be given to consumers, as it is not in the interest of their own security and it is also not in the interest of the state govt,” the CM said, adding: “I had said so even at the rallies I addressed during the polls.”
“The farmers have to pay a small sum as power tariff. The government is paying a huge chunk on subsidy to consumers against bills on consumption of power by them, so that they have to pay a less amount against power tariff,” Nitish said.
He said the states which took to giving free power to consumers are now caught in a debt trap, as their dues to the power companies have increased multifold. “Here, the subsidy is being paid. It is for the security of the govt and all types of consumers,” the CM said. But the opposition members walked out.
For his part, energy minister said the combined dues of all the states providing free electricity to the companies has increased to around Rs3.5 lakh crore. “Bihar is not among them,” Yadav said, adding the state govt is paying subsidy to the tune of around Rs14,000 crore.
He also said the govt has been purchasing power from the companies whose annual bill has increased from Rs6,500 crore in 2021-22 to the range of Rs13,114 crore in 2023-24.
The number of power consumers and the peak demand for power in the state has also been increasing on a sustained basis, even in the countryside where 27 lakh farmers are drawing power from the agriculture feeder at 70 paise per unit. The govt has been also providing smart prepaid meters to help them and others to regulate power consumption.
The govt has decided to tap solar energy in a big way for which a solar power plant of 185 MW at Rs1,810 crore is being installed at Kajra in Lakhisarai district, in which power produced would be stored in a battery-charged storage unit, that is biggest in the country. Besides, a thermal power plant of 800MW is being established in Pirpainty of Bhagalpur district.
Over and above that, the energy minister lambasted leader of opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who was deputy CM of the state twice under the care of Nitish Kumar. “Today, Tejashwi has joined hands with the Congress who had arrested his father (Lalu) and is out in the field talking about ‘kranti (revolution)’,” Yadav said.
The CM asserted this while intervening in the govt’s reply that was being given by energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav to the House debate on the energy department’s budgetary allocation of Rs11,422.67 crore for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
Also, the CM made the intervention in the nick of time when opposition members of the assembly rose at their seats to walk out of the House, raising the demand for free electricity to farmers and other power consumers.
“Do sit down and listen. I have said it in the past and say it again that free electricity will not be given to consumers, as it is not in the interest of their own security and it is also not in the interest of the state govt,” the CM said, adding: “I had said so even at the rallies I addressed during the polls.”
“The farmers have to pay a small sum as power tariff. The government is paying a huge chunk on subsidy to consumers against bills on consumption of power by them, so that they have to pay a less amount against power tariff,” Nitish said.
He said the states which took to giving free power to consumers are now caught in a debt trap, as their dues to the power companies have increased multifold. “Here, the subsidy is being paid. It is for the security of the govt and all types of consumers,” the CM said. But the opposition members walked out.
For his part, energy minister said the combined dues of all the states providing free electricity to the companies has increased to around Rs3.5 lakh crore. “Bihar is not among them,” Yadav said, adding the state govt is paying subsidy to the tune of around Rs14,000 crore.
He also said the govt has been purchasing power from the companies whose annual bill has increased from Rs6,500 crore in 2021-22 to the range of Rs13,114 crore in 2023-24.
The number of power consumers and the peak demand for power in the state has also been increasing on a sustained basis, even in the countryside where 27 lakh farmers are drawing power from the agriculture feeder at 70 paise per unit. The govt has been also providing smart prepaid meters to help them and others to regulate power consumption.
The govt has decided to tap solar energy in a big way for which a solar power plant of 185 MW at Rs1,810 crore is being installed at Kajra in Lakhisarai district, in which power produced would be stored in a battery-charged storage unit, that is biggest in the country. Besides, a thermal power plant of 800MW is being established in Pirpainty of Bhagalpur district.
Over and above that, the energy minister lambasted leader of opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who was deputy CM of the state twice under the care of Nitish Kumar. “Today, Tejashwi has joined hands with the Congress who had arrested his father (Lalu) and is out in the field talking about ‘kranti (revolution)’,” Yadav said.