Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has voluntarily waived the subsidy on all five electricity meters registered in his name. He submitted the required form to Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Chairman, Sanjay Gupta and urged well-off individuals to follow suit.
Addressing the media, the Chief Minister emphasized that affluent citizens with multiple electricity meters should relinquish subsidies to support the development of the state. He encouraged well-off consumers to voluntarily waive their subsidies through the electricity online portal of the board, by calling helpline numbers 1100 or 1912, or by visiting their nearest electricity sub-division.
The Chief Minister said that all Cabinet members and Congress MLAs in the state have agreed to forgo their subsidies following detailed discussions. He said that the government spends Rs. 2,200 crore annually on electricity subsidies and Rs. 200 crore monthly on salaries and pensions of electricity board employees.
He said that subsidies should be reserved for the needy and well-off individuals must contribute towards building a fairer society. He reiterated the vision of the present state government for making Himachal Pradesh self-reliant and making all possible efforts to reform the system which have led to a gradual revival of the state’s economy.
He said that measures of the state government were proving helpful in preventing investment outflows and have further strengthened economic growth of the state. He called on citizens to support these initiatives and said that collective efforts would ensure better opportunities for the underprivileged while driving the state's progress.
Health Minister Dr. (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil, Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar, Public Work Minister Vikramaditya Singh, Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania, MLA's Harish Janartha, Ram Kumar, Hardeep Singh Bawa, Principal Media Advisor to CM Naresh Chauhan, Vice-Chairman HIMUDA Yashwant Chhajta, HPBOCW Chairman Nardev Singh Kanwar, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, Secretary to the Chief Minister Rakesh Kanwar, MD HPSEB Sandeep Kumar and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.