BANGALORE: Siddaramaiah, the chief minister of Karnatakaon Tuesday announced that 200 units of free power will be made available to all domestic consumers in the state, including those residing in rented houses.

After winning the election in Karnataka, the Congress party announced its intention to grant 200 free energy units (Gruha Jyoti) to each family in the state.

One of the five electoral promises made by the ruling Congress party was fulfilled on Monday when the Karnataka government unveiled the "Gruha Jyoti" programme. The initiative, which is set to go into effect on July 1st, promises household consumers up to 200 free units of electricity.

The scheme applies exclusively to residential usage and does not extend to commercial connections. The beneficiaries will receive free electricity up to 10% more than their average power use in the fiscal year 2022–2023, under the government's instruction.

"We are providing free power to assist the State's poor and middle-class residents who are in need. We've given away 10% more free electricity than is typically used in a year, the minister said.

As per the government's order, a consumer is eligible for free power up to 165 units if he uses an average of 150 units of electricity every month. However, the client will be responsible for paying the entire electricity bill if the usage surpasses 200 units of power. Consumers have three months to clear the debts by June 30.

Both the reading of the electricity metre and the usage of the metre are now required. The order stated that the monthly bill will show the total amount of electricity used.

The government also announced that the recipients of the "Bhagya Jyoti," "Kuteera Jyoti," and "Amruta Jyoti" schemes -- three different current programmes that provide free power to communities that are economically and socially disadvantaged -- would be combined with the "Gruha Jyoti" programme.

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