Priyanka to roll out power, LPG guarantees on February 27

AICC leader Priyanka Gandhi will launch the Congress government's two guarantees, giving LPG cylinders at Rs 500 a piece to 40 lakh beneficiaries under the Maha Lakshmi scheme and 200 units of free power to 42.07 lakh households under the Gruha Jyothi scheme, on February 27. This was announced by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy while addressing a press conference at Medaram on Friday after offering prayers at the Sammakka Saralamma (Medaram) Jatara.

The operational guidelines drafted by the state government said the two schemes were meant to " reduce the financial burden on low-income families and improve their quality of life." To avail of the Maha Lakshmi scheme, beneficiaries have to pay the full amount at the time of the cylinder delivery and the state government will transfer the subsidy to the accounts of beneficiaries after deducting Rs 500.

Consumers who have an active domestic LPG connection and whose names are included in the food security cards (ration cards) issued both by the Centre and the state governments are eligible. These consumers should have applied for the subsidy through the Praja Palana which was held across the state from December 28 to January 6. The number of subsidised LPG cylinders will be limited to the average consumption in the last three years for each household. After this ceiling is reached, consumers will have to bear the full amount.

As of now, around 40 lakh beneficiaries have been identified and new beneficiaries will be



added as and when fresh applications are received. The state government will provide an upfront advance on a monthly basis to oil marketing companies (OMCs), namely HPCL, BPCL, and IOCL, to supply subsidised cylinders to the listed beneficiaries. The beneficiaries will be transferred a differential amount through a back-ended DBT-based online transfer of the subsidy by the OMCs.

For the Gruha Jyothi scheme, applications received through Praja Palana having valid food security cards (ration cards) will be eligible. Each household covered under this scheme will be eligible for free electricity of up to 200 units of domestic consumption per month for one service connection. If the electricity consumption of an eligible household is not more than 200 units in a month, zero bills will be generated. In all other cases, the bill for the total units consumed in that month will be generated per the existing procedure. Any consumer who has been issued a bill as per existing procedure but claiming eligibility for Gruha Jyothi can apply for coverage through the mandal parishad development office or the municipal commissioner's office. 

If the consumer is found eligible, a revised bill will be issued as per the provisions of the Gruha Jyothi scheme. As of now, 42,07,209 beneficiaries have been identified for the launch of the scheme. The state government will release subsidy amounts to discoms on a monthly basis to implement this scheme.