Mukhyamantri Saral Bijli Bill Yojana

There has been a dramatic change in the utilization of technologies. However, many parts of our country cannot utilize these technologies due to lack of electricity supply. Apart from the urban areas, there are many rural areas that cannot afford electricity in their homes, as they cannot pay monthly electricity bills. To eradicate this, the Madhya Pradesh Government has introduced a scheme called as Mukhyamantri Saral Bijli Bill Yojana. The scheme was proposed by the State's Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and is implemented from July 1st, 2018. This article discusses the scheme in detail. The scheme has been introduced for the sole purpose of the poor and for those people who have registered as labours with the state. Moreover, the scheme is overseen by the Energy Department of Madhya Pradesh under the Mukhyamantri Jan Kalyan Yojana.

Features of the Scheme

• The scheme provides free electricity to poor people of the state.
• The bill payment applicable for this scheme is Rs. 200. If the bill amount less than that, the amount will be considered as subsidy and will be paid by the Government.
• The scheme sees to it that the poor people can have electricity supply as a part of their living, without incurring much expenditure.
• The electrical appliances that can be used under the scheme include fans, televisions and bulbs.
• The scheme targets to reach 88 lakh poor people across the state to provide them with adequate access to electricity.

Eligibility Standards

• The individual should be a resident of the state.
• The individual should belong to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category and in addition to those, people registered as labours in urban areas are also applicable.
• The benefits of the scheme can be availed by people who use 500 watts or below on a month.
• The candidate should possess a power bill to get the benefits of the power bill waiver scheme.
• People who have already availed CM Jan Kalyan Yojana can automatically attain the scheme's benefits.
• Every applicant has to have a meter reading in the house and the amount payable will be calculated using it.
• For houses that do not have electricity connection, the bills must be remitted according to the laws laid by the Madhya Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission.
• The household where electricity has been stopped due to non-payment of the bill can also apply for this scheme.
• Those applicants wanting to install air conditioners are not eligible to apply for this scheme.

Waiver Amount

The State Government pays all the electricity bills that have not been remitted by the concerned residents. This is carried out on a 50-50 basis, where the State government pays 50% of the bills and the remaining 50% will be provided by the power supply and distribution company. The authorities have confirmed that 77 lakh residents will become the beneficiaries of the scheme.

Documents Required

• Domicile Certificate
• Identification Documents
• Electricity Bill
• Below Poverty Line Certificate
• Labour Certificate

Application Procedure

Step 1: Log on to the website The applicant has to log on to the official website /en Step 2: Printing of the form Once the form is downloaded, the applicant has to print the application. Step 3: Enter the Details The applicant has to enter all the required details in the application form. Step 4: Attach the Documents After entering the details, the applicant has to attach all the required documents along with the application form. Step 5: Submission of the form  Once all the procedures are properly completed, the form has to be submitted at the nearest State Power Department. On submission of the form, several scrutiny processes are undertaken.

Estimation of the Scheme

The Government has been taking several measures for the successful implementation of the scheme to help the rural people in the society. An allocation of Rs. 5179 crore, added with a subsidy of Rs. 1806 crore has been allocated.