KERC Chairman P. Ravikumar on Wednesday asked the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) to extend the rebate in power bills for MSMEs.
At the public hearing here, Mr. Ravikumar, while referring to the subject put forth by industry representatives, sought to know the reason for not extending the rebate to MSMEs.
In response, the CESC authorities claimed many MSMEs here were availing the rebate and added that a certificate issued by the MSME Ministry was a must to avail the benefit. If they submit documents, including the certificate, the rebate can also be extended to others, they said.
When the members of industry associations maintained that the benefit was not extended despite submitting the documents, Mr. Ravikumar said the CESC may be penalised and the dues owed to the MSMEs would be recovered with interest if the benefit was not provided to them.
Mysore Industries Association secretary Suresh Kumar Jain said Mysuru has nearly 69,000 MSMEs and suggested that a separate tariff be fixed for MSMEs on the lines of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The direct benefit in electricity bills would support the MSMEs, he felt.
