Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal may have promised that he would run the Delhi government profitably thanks to his being a ‘Bania’, but indications are that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will do very little to boost Delhi’s economy. Straying from the policy that has emerged lately—the user-must-pay principle—the government has announced a cut in the power tariff. And this means families using power till 400 units per month will get it at half the price. The government had allocated Rs 70 crore for this subsidy for a month.
The Delhi government will also provide 20,000 litres of free water per month to every household. “I am a Bania and I know how to do business. I will not run the government in loss,” Kejriwal had said in an interview after he was elected to power in a landslide win. While it can be said that AAP is simply doling out its poll promises with these measures, it risks a confrontation with discoms which could put the national capital in danger of a major power crisis.
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