Although it was announced that the Gruha Jyothi scheme would be applicable from July 1, many consumers were billed by electricity supply companies (escoms) for the first few days of the month, going by their regular billing cycle.
Addressing a press conference ahead of the launch of the scheme, Energy Minister K. J. George said on Tuesday that the amount charged for the first few days of July (up to 15 days), will be credited to the beneficiaries. “If there are arrears, the credits will be used to adjust them. If there are no arrears, then we will initiate a refund to the consumers along with an interest as per the current bank rates,” he said.
He added that over 1.42 crore consumers, including 18,12,452 Bhagya Jyothi, Kuteera Jyothi and Amrutha Jyothi beneficiaries, have registered under Gruha Jyothi so far. However, there is not much clarity about how many applicants qualify for the scheme.
