Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announces that all ministers, MLAs, and government employees will start paying their own electricity bills from July 1, ending VIP culture. Measures to reduce electricity rates and save power are also introduced.
Assam, India, Bollywood Fever: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Sunday that starting July 1, all ministers, MLAs, and government employees residing in government quarters will have to pay their electricity bills. This initiative aims to end the VIP culture of using taxpayer money for such expenses.
“We are ending the #VIPCulture rule of paying electricity bills of government officials using taxpayer money. Myself and the chief secretary will set an example and start paying our power bills from July 1 onwards. Beginning July 2024, all public servants will have to pay for their own electricity consumption,” Sarma wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Sarma also revealed plans to reduce electricity rates for lower-income groups. “We are aiming to reduce the rate by ₹1 per unit by April next year and we’ll reduce another 50 paise per unit next year,” he stated.
In a move to conserve electricity, the Assam government will introduce auto-disconnection of electricity at all government offices after 8 pm, excluding the CM Secretariat, Home, and Finance Departments. “We have undertaken an initiative to implement auto-disconnection of electricity at all Government offices (barring CM Secretariat, Home, and Finance Department) at 8 pm so that we can save electricity. This measure is already in place at 8,000 Government offices, schools across the state,” he added.
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