Top News

The BJP government in Delhi has given Delhiites a Diwali gift. This gift relates to the water supply to your homes, which will ease the burden on your pockets. The Delhi government on Tuesday implemented the "Late Fee Surcharge Waiver Scheme." The interest rate on water bills has also been reduced from 5% to 2%. This means the government is waiving the penalty and interest on outstanding bills. Delhi government minister Pravesh Verma provided this information.

What is this scheme?
The Delhi government has provided significant relief to Delhiites on water bills ahead of Diwali. The government implemented the "Late Fee Surcharge Waiver Scheme" on Tuesday. Under this scheme, the penalty on outstanding water bills has been completely waived. Additionally, the interest rate on outstanding dues has been reduced from 5% to 2%. Delhi government minister Parvesh Verma announced this decision. This scheme will benefit approximately 1.6 million consumers in Delhi, who have long faced difficulties in paying their bills due to high bills.

Why was this scheme needed?
Complaints of high water bills in Delhi have been received for a long time. According to Minister Parvesh Verma, the main reason for this was the Jal Board's outdated software, which had problems calculating compound interest. This resulted in 5% monthly interest on outstanding dues, which could amount to 70% annually.

Due to this exorbitant interest, people were unable to pay their bills and were waiting for a scheme that could provide relief. The government believes that while this scheme may result in a loss of thousands of crores of rupees for the Delhi Jal Board, it will greatly benefit the public, allowing them to easily pay their past due bills.

How will this scheme work?
Online software update: The Delhi Jal Board's old software has been quickly updated to reflect the new interest rates and eliminate calculation errors.

Interest reduction: Now, a simple interest of only 2% will be charged on outstanding bills, instead of 5% per month.

Benefits for those with illegal connections: The government is also appealing to those who currently hold illegal water connections to take advantage of this scheme and obtain a legal connection. According to the minister, these individuals will benefit up to 96%, as they will only have to pay a small portion of the outstanding amount.

Phased rollout: The scheme was implemented on Tuesday, and under this, customers will benefit from a waiver of interest and penalties on outstanding bills.

This scheme is a major financial relief for consumers. It is also being touted as a step towards rescuing the Delhi Jal Board from losses and improving the water and sewerage system.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from NDTV India. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.