A man scans the QR code in mobile to register there name for Gruha Jyothi free electricity scheme.
Credit: DH File Photo/S K Dinesh
Bengaluru: Eight districts falling within the Bescom jurisdiction have the lowest coverage of the state government's free electricity scheme Gruha Jyothi, according to data obtained by DH.
Of the six electricity supply companies (Escoms) in Karnataka, Bescom has only 78.98 per cent of its consumers benefiting from the scheme.
Bescom, which covers Bengaluru Urban and Rural, Tumakuru, Kolar, Ramanagar, Chikkaballapur, Chitradurga and Davangere, reported 73,12,578 registrations since the launch of the scheme in August 2023 until November.
Bengaluru Urban saw the lowest registrations because of the consumption pattern and non-native residents.
"Eighty per cent of the remaining 22 per cent not covered by the scheme use over 200 units of power a month. Most non-beneficiaries are from residential areas such as Sadashivanagar, Jayanagar and JP Nagar,” a Bescom official in the know said.
The remaining 20 per cent are non-native residents who are either unaware of the scheme or who chose not to apply.
Dheeman Garg, a resident of Suddaguntepalya in southern Bengaluru, didn't apply because he was unaware until recently. "I pay for electricity because my consumption is not substantial. My monthly bill is Rs 250-Rs 300," he said.
In contrast, Triyanshi Parihar, a Lucknow native living in Indiranagar, said she didn’t know about the scheme until her friend told her about it a few months ago. She didn’t believe it when she heard about it.
"I applied for the scheme recently and will hopefully benefit from January onwards. I would have opted for the scheme earlier had I known about it," she said.
Officials say registrations in Bescom are increasing gradually and will likely reach 80 per cent in the next few months.
Hescom, which covers the districts of Kittur Karnataka, has the highest coverage, at 96.37 per cent.
The Bescom official noted that other Escoms have higher coverage because people in those districts became aware of the scheme early on and politicians also endorsed it.