Shimla, December 17: Starting from January 1, grade-1 and grade-2 officers in Himachal Pradesh will no longer receive an electricity subsidy, meaning they will have to pay their electricity bills at full rates. The state government currently provides a subsidy ranging from Rs 1.3 to Rs 3.53 per unit to domestic consumers. This decision, aimed at strengthening the state’s electricity board, was made during a review meeting of the Energy Department chaired by Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on Monday.
In addition to stopping subsidies for these officers, the government has decided to allocate an additional Rs 100 crore to the electricity board. This move is part of the ongoing effort to improve the board’s financial position. The Chief Minister emphasized the importance of innovation within the board’s operations to boost its efficiency and revenue. Recently, the rationalization of electricity rates for industrial and commercial consumers has been introduced, which is expected to generate an additional Rs 500 crore annually.
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The government is also focused on financial discipline to strengthen the state’s overall financial standing. As part of the broader strategy, it was announced that the subsidy for income tax-paying consumers would be phased out, starting with government officers. Further decisions regarding other consumer groups will be made in the near future. Additionally, the government is conducting an e-KYC process to collect records for verifying subsidy eligibility for households with a single electricity meter.
In response to the shortage of field staff, the Chief Minister also instructed that recruitments for linemen and T-Mates in the Electricity Board would take place soon. This move aims to improve the quality of power supply services and ensure better staffing levels. Furthermore, a plan to rationalize the existing staff will also be developed.
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