‘Free power’ parties will have to pay some way: Minister

Union minister of power and new & renewable energy RK Singh has blasted the promise of free electricity ahead of assembly elections, saying these people are not worried about the country’s future.

‘This is not free electricity. They have to pay for the electricity because coal is not free. The labourer who works in the thermal plant has to be paid. Transmission line has to be paid for. Electricity is not free. One has to pay. If you want consumers shouldn’t pay, then they should pay from their budget,” the minister said in an interview to News 18.

“The problem is the states that are saying ‘electricity free’, we have seen the figures. The revenues are 20-25% their own, 75% comes from taxes collected by the Centre…the revenue received goes in their salary, pensions, old loans…Money is not left after that. For freebies, they have to borrow. They are putting pressure on the coming generations and we are in this state that to pay for the old loans, we are taking new loans. They are pushing us into a debt trap. They want to distribute the budget money and come to office,” he said.

He pointed out that states that don’t pay for the electricity supplied from the national grid will have their power supply cut automatically.  “At first, 12-13 distribution companies’ electricity got cut, and they paid…but the national thermal plants from which they are taking electricity, that has to be paid for, or else electricity will be cut. We made this system so that if they do irresponsible politics, then they have to pay or have their electricity cut,” Singh pointed out.

With inputs from News18

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