NEW DELHI: Delhi LG V Okay Saxena has requested Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to direct the ability division to position the DERC advisory on restriction of energy subsidy earlier than the council of ministers and take a choice inside 15 days. The LG made the instruction on the idea of a DERC’s statutory advisory to the Delhi authorities to contemplate “restricting” electrical energy subsidy to the “poor and needy consumers.” However the advisory was put in abeyance.
Reacting to the instruction, the federal government stated the Delhi LG has as soon as once more violated the Constitution and Supreme Court directives by “illegally” extending his remit.
The report which types the bottom of LG’s directive was ready by Kumar whereas wanting into the criticism of energy discoms’ unpaid dues to era corporations and was submitted to the LG and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in December 2022, officers stated.
The chief secretary in his report stated that the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) had suggested the Delhi authorities in October 2020 to increase the ability subsidy to solely customers with a sanctioned load of both as much as 3KW or as much as 5KW, as it can cowl virtually 95 per cent of the full home customers and save the federal government as much as Rs 316 crore.
The DERC had recommended that the customers having fastened load above 5KW weren’t strictly “poor” and shouldn’t be prolonged the advantage of subsidy. When the recommendation was positioned by the ability division earlier than the minister-concerned in November 2020, he directed to maneuver it earlier than the Cabinet the subsequent 12 months.
According to the chief secretary’s report, the ability division positioned a notice earlier than the then energy minister, Satyendra Jain, on April 13, 2021 once more however it was rejected in favour of the scheme extant.
The minister, in keeping with the report, stated the ability subsidy as determined by the cupboard ‘100 per cent waiver on month-to-month consumption of as much as 200 models and 50 per cent low cost on consuming 201 to 400 models’ will proceed.
Since the matter concerned monetary implications to the tune of between Rs 200 crore to Rs 316 crore yearly, the competent authority to determine this matter was the Cabinet, the chief secretary stated in his report.
As the matter got here to the sunshine, the ability division began making ready the proposal for the Cabinet once more to maintain customers of sanctioned load of greater than 3 KW out of the subsidy internet.
The chief secretary’s report identified that the ability division not solely failed to put the statutory recommendation of DERC for consideration of the LG however it was not even positioned earlier than the Cabinet for its consideration.
The approval of the finance division was additionally not taken earlier than going forward with the prevailing subsidy scheme, in keeping with the report.
The chief secretary additionally referred the matter to the legislation division, which agreed that the matter ought to have been positioned earlier than the Cabinet and the LG, and that there was materials departure from the provisions of the Rules.
It added that the chief secretary ought to invoke rule 57 of the transaction of enterprise guidelines (ToBR), and personally convey it to the discover of the minister-in-charge, chief minister, and LG.
On the idea of the report, the LG has additionally requested the chief secretary to apprise the chief minister concerning the alleged lapses of the transaction of enterprise guidelines by the then energy minister and request him to instruct his cupboard members to scrupulously observe its provisions.
“The existing policy for granting electricity subsidy was decided by the council of ministers? the minister is not competent to take a decision in a matter which falls within the purview of the council of ministers as per ToBR,” the LG in his notice stated.
“The chief minister may be apprised about the aforesaid lapses of the ToBR by the then Hon’ble Minister (Power) and may be requested to instruct all the Ministers-in-Charge of all departments of GNCTD to scrupulously follow the provisions of Transaction of Business of GNCTD Rules,” he added.
Reacting to the event, the federal government stated the LG by intervening within the matter was meddling illegally in its affairs.
“The Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court has clearly dominated that the LG has not been entrusted with any resolution making powers on transferred topics, which incorporates electrical energy. Yet he has subverted all authorized rules by asking the Delhi Government to withdraw energy subsidy.
“CM Arvind Kejriwal will not let that happen. The LG should stop acting like a political nominee of the BJP and let the elected government do its job,” it stated in an announcement.
