Twenty five lakh domestic consumers of Punjab have got 'zero' electricity bill, Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO said on Saturday.

Talking to reporters in Amritsar,  the Minister said that this is the first time that the government is fulfilling its election promises in the initial year itself, otherwise governments have been fulfilling election promises only in the last year of their tenure. He said that due to the relief given by the Punjab government of 300 units per month, the electricity bills of 25 lakh domestic consumers of the state have been 'zero'.

The Power Minister said that no caste or religion has been made a basis under this electricity amnesty scheme, but every household consumer who consumes up to 600 units of electricity in two months will get 'zero' electricity bill. If one uses more electricity than this, he will have to pay the entire electricity bill.

The minister also said that due to the two-month bill circle with electricity waiver, consumers are getting 600 units of free electricity, which is more than the requirement of every normal household. He said that due to the electricity waiver given from July 1, out of the bills that have come in the month of August, 25 lakh consumers will not have to pay the bill.

He said that out of the total 72 lakh domestic consumers, bills were sent to 42 lakh consumers, out of which 25 lakh families have received zero bills. Apart from this, 34 lakh families have got the benefit of subsidized electricity at Rs.3 per unit.

Due to severe heat in these two months, the consumption is higher than normal months. But in the coming months the heat wave won't be so severe hence about 85 percent of the consumers will get the benefit of electricity exemption, he added