Thiruvananthapuram: All domestic consumers of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) could claim the subsidy announced for the latest bills generated from April 20 to June 19. Even those who have already paid their power bills during this phase coinciding with the different phases of the COVID-19 lockdown will be eligible for the waiver.

The power bills generated from Monday, July 6, onwards will reflect the concession. The exact subsidy amounts will be noted on the bill and on the receipt.

The decision to grant subsidy comes in the wake of widespread complaints that the KSEB was charging exorbitant amounts from the consumers, especially after meter reading was done away with during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Subsidy rates and terms

The subsidy is calculated on all bills with an average consumption of 50 units and more during the period of April 20 to June 19 at the following rates:
Upto 50 units:  50%
100 units: 30%
150 units: 25%
Above 150 units: 20% 

No interest will be charged for power bills with subsidy component till December 31, 2020.

Consumers eligible for subsidy are allowed a maximum of five monthly instalments to pay. They will also have the option to pay 70 per cent of the bill amount during the period when the billing software is updated to reflect the subsidy component.

The exact bill amount after deducting the subsidy can be remitted along with the next bill without any fine.

However, subsidy would not apply for bills with arrears or bill amounts arrived at on the basis of lockdown cotingency called door-lock adjustment. (Door-lock adjustment in the KSEB parlance refers to the power bill arrived at by reckoning half the power usage during the last four months preceding the COVID-19 lockdown during which meter reading was avoided.)

The exempted category

Consumers with a connected load of up to 500W and a bimonthly power consumption of 40 units or less need not pay the power bill irrespective of the usage. The BPL users with a connected load of up to 1000W with a bimonthly consumption of 80 units or less will be billed at a rate of Rs 1.50 per unit irrespective of the metre reading.