Punjab Households To Get 300 Units Of Free Electricity From Today, AAP Hails It As 'Historic'

300 units of free electricity to each household every month was one of the key poll promises made by the Aam Aadmi Party during the 2022 Punjab assembly election.

New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said that his AAP government is fulfilling a “guarantee” made to the people of the state as each household will be getting 300 units of free electricity every month, effective from Friday. The AAP government had previously made the announcement of giving 300 units of free power to every household from July 1. The party leadership has hailed the decision as “historic” and as setting a “new example” in the state which has grappled with power supply crisis in the recent past.

“Previous governments used to make promises during elections … five years would pass by the time promises were fulfilled but our government has set a new example in Punjab's history. Today we are going to fulfill another guarantee given to Punjabis. From today, each family in Punjab will get 300 units of free electricity per month,” Mann wrote in a tweet.

300 units of free electricity to each household every month was one of the key poll promises made by the Aam Aadmi Party during the 2022 Punjab assembly election.

AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha called it a “historic” day for Punjab, mentioning that it Punjab has become the second after Delhi to provide free electricity to people.

“Today is a historic day as Punjab becomes the second state after Delhi to get lifeline electricity free of cost. 'Kejriwal di pehli (first) guarantee' to Punjabis becomes a reality,” Chadha tweeted.

While presenting the AAP government's first budget for Punjab on June 27, State Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema had informed that the free power supply would put an additional burden of Rs 1,800 crore on the state exchequer.

“The AAP government is fulfilling its first guarantee made to the people of Punjab by providing 300 units of domestic power supply per month free to all citizens of Punjab with effect from July 1. This will bring big relief to Punjabis, who are reeling under exorbitant power bills,” Cheema had said.

He further mentioned that the state government has planned to finance this scheme by cutting wasteful expenditure and through enhancement of own tax revenue.

Delhi CM and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal also congratulated the state, tweeting: "Millions of families will now receive zero (expense) in electricity bills every month. We kept our promise. The Aam Aadmi Party does what it says. The people of Punjab will also be free of expensive electricity now."

Notably, this comes as opposition leaders like Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal and Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring are targeting the ruling AAP over its Moong crop procurement scheme.

The Akali Dal and Congress alleged low or below MSP procurement for Moong produce by the state government after publicising the initiative widely.