Raipur, Jun 15 (PTI) The Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission (CSERC) on Monday approved an average increase of 6.23 per cent in electricity tariffs across all consumer categories from July 1, while retaining several concessions for women's self-help groups, hospitals, and tribal regions.

The opposition Congress criticised the move, accusing the BJP government of "looting" consumers.

The hike is significantly lower than the 24 per cent increase sought by the state power distribution company for the 2026-27 financial year, an official statement said.

The Commission said the revised tariff was approved to meet the estimated revenue requirement for the year.

While the distribution company had proposed an average cost of supply of Rs 8.40 per unit, the regulator approved Rs 7.13 per unit after detailed analysis. The average billing rate for 2026-27 has been estimated at Rs 6.71 per unit, which is 42 paise lower than the approved average cost of supply, it said.

Electricity tariffs for domestic consumers have been increased by 30-50 paise per unit, impacting around 60 lakh consumers in the state.

Rates for non-domestic consumers have been raised by 20-40 paise per unit, while tariffs for agricultural pump connections have gone up by 40 paise per unit.

The Commission retained a 10 per cent concession in energy charges for industrial and commercial activities operated by registered women's self-help groups.

Similar concessions have been retained for hospitals, nursing homes and diagnostic centres functioning in rural areas and in the Bastar and Surguja tribal development authority regions, it said.

A 25 per cent rebate on energy charges for mobile towers located in the Bastar and Surguja tribal authority regions has been continued. To encourage electric mobility, the tariff for electric vehicle charging stations has been fixed at Rs 7.13 per unit, equivalent to the approved average cost of supply.

The energy charge rebate for non-subsidised agricultural pump connections has been increased from 30 per cent to 40 per cent. Farmers will continue to be allowed to use up to 100 watts of power for lights and fans near agricultural pump installations, according to the statement.

The Commission also continued a 10 per cent concession in energy charges for poha and puffed rice mills under the LV-5 category.

The advance payment rebate has been reduced from 1.25 per cent to 0.75 per cent and will now be available only to consumers sourcing their entire electricity requirement from the distribution company.

The delayed payment surcharge has been revised from 1.5 per cent per month to 0.04 per cent per day, it said.

State Power Distribution Company Managing Director Bhim Singh Kanwar said the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission, while announcing electricity rates for the year 2026-27, has kept many provisions providing relief to consumers intact.

He stated that beneficiaries of the M-URJA (Mukhyamantri Urja Rahat Jan Abhiyan) scheme would continue to receive relief, and the impact of the tariff hike on low-income households would remain limited.

Consumers using up to 400 units of electricity and availing the half-bill benefit on 200 units would see an average increase of only 15-20 paise per unit, he said.

Kanwar further said the tariff increase would not affect farmers because the additional burden on agricultural pump connections would be borne by the state government through subsidies.

He also claimed that power tariffs in Chhattisgarh remain lower than those in neighbouring states such as Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Student hostels, both government-run and private, located in the Bastar and Surguja tribal development authority regions, would now be billed under the domestic category instead of the commercial category, providing additional relief, he said.

Consumers in domestic and non-domestic categories with sanctioned loads above 10 kilowatts will also receive a rebate of 20 paise per unit on electricity consumed during off-peak hours between 9 am and 5 pm, he added.

State Congress communication department chairman Sushil Anand Shukla alleged that the government's power department was "looting consumers in the name of electricity bills" and noted that this was the fifth tariff increase since the BJP came to power (in 2023).

"The government has increased rates for domestic, commercial and agricultural consumers. People have already been struggling with exorbitant electricity bills, and instead of providing relief, the government has increased tariffs," Shukla said.

He alleged that electricity bills have risen three to four times in recent months and claimed that consumers were receiving different online and offline bills.

He also accused the power utility of increasing contracted load capacities without consumer consent and imposing penalties based on higher loads linked to smart meter readings.

More than 45 lakh consumers received electricity bills in June that were nearly three times higher than normal, he claimed.

"People are bearing the brunt of inflated power bills and power cuts. The government is unable to provide round-the-clock electricity and is simultaneously sending arbitrary bills to consumers," he alleged. PTI TKP NSK