Delhi Electricity Subsidy Scheme (200 Units Free Power)

What is the Delhi Electricity Subsidy Scheme?

Delhi Electricity Subsidy Scheme is the Power Department's standing arrangement under which the Government of NCT of Delhi pays part of a domestic consumer's energy charge directly to the distribution company, so that the amount never appears on the household's bill. Delhi residents usually call it the "200 unit free bijli" scheme or Delhi muft bijli yojana, and it has run since 2019.

According to the Power Department, Delhi is served by three private distribution licensees, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) in south and west Delhi, BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) in central and east Delhi, and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) in north and north-west Delhi, plus the New Delhi Municipal Council and the Military Engineer Services for the Cantonment area. The subsidy is not paid to the consumer. The government reimburses the discom, and the discom shows the subsidised amount as a deduction on the bill.

How the two slabs work

• 0 to 200 units in a billing month to 100 per cent subsidy on the energy charge. The household's energy charge for the month becomes zero.
• 201 to 400 units in a billing month to 50 per cent subsidy on the energy charge, capped at Rs 800 for the month.
• Above 400 units: no subsidy for that month. The full tariff applies to the entire consumption, not just the units above 400.

The tariff itself is fixed by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC), not by the Power Department. The subsidy sits on top of whatever tariff DERC has notified for the year, which is why the rupee value of "200 free units" changes when DERC revises the domestic slab rates.

Scale of the scheme. The Delhi Budget for 2026-27 allocated Rs 3,942 crore to the Power Department, of which Rs 3,500 crore is earmarked for electricity subsidy payments to the discoms. That allocation is the clearest public confirmation that the scheme continues in the current financial year.

Who is eligible for the Delhi electricity subsidy?

You can claim the subsidy if:

• You hold a domestic connection in Delhi, billed under the domestic tariff category by BRPL, BYPL, TPDDL, NDMC or the Cantonment supplier.
• The connection is registered in your name, or you are the person the discom bills against that CA number.
• Your monthly consumption is 400 units or less. Up to 200 units the subsidy is total; between 201 and 400 units it is half the energy charge, up to Rs 800.
• You have completed the one-time opt-in, which the Delhi government made compulsory from 1 October 2022.

You are not eligible, or cannot apply, if:

• The connection is non-domestic: commercial, industrial, agricultural (which has its own separate order), advertising or temporary supply.
• Your consumption in the billing month exceeds 400 units. No partial benefit is given for that month.
• You have not opted in. This is the single largest reason households in Delhi still receive a positive energy charge on a low bill.
• The connection is disconnected, under theft proceedings, or in arrears to the point of disconnection, in which case the discom may withhold the subsidy adjustment until the account is regularised.

Separate categories. The Delhi Cabinet decided in April 2025 to continue subsidy for three further categories alongside domestic consumers: agricultural consumers, lawyers' chambers located inside court complexes in the NCT of Delhi, and families of 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims. The riot-victim category is the most generous, a 100 per cent subsidy up to 400 units a month.

How to apply for the Delhi electricity subsidy

The opt-in is free, takes a few minutes, and is done once. It stays active for the connection until the consumer withdraws it or the discom flags a change in the account.

1. Keep your latest electricity bill at hand and note the CA number (consumer account number) printed on it.
2. Send "Hi" on WhatsApp to the Delhi power subsidy number 7011311111, or give that number a missed call from the mobile number registered with your discom. Alternatively, scan the subsidy QR code printed on your bill.
3. Open the link sent back by SMS or WhatsApp, which takes you to the subsidy consent form for your CA number.
4. Fill in the form: confirm the CA number, consumer name and mobile number, and submit it.
5. Wait for the confirmation SMS saying the subsidy is active on your connection.
6. If you prefer to do it on paper, take the printed subsidy form attached to your bill or a plain written request to your discom's local customer care office, submit it with a copy of your bill, and keep the stamped acknowledgement.

Timing matters. The opt-in must reach the discom before the last day of the preceding month for the subsidy to apply from the first of the next month. An application submitted on 30 September takes effect from 1 October; one submitted on 2 October generally applies from the November cycle.

How to check whether the Delhi power subsidy is active

1. Open your latest bill and look for the subsidy line. A subsidised domestic bill shows the government subsidy as an explicit deduction, and a household under 200 units shows a zero energy charge.
2. Log in to your discom's consumer portal or mobile app; BSES for BRPL and BYPL, and the Tata Power-DDL app for TPDDL, with your CA number, and open the bill history.
3. Call your discom's 24x7 number — 19123 (BSES Rajdhani), 19122 (BSES Yamuna) or 19124 (Tata Power-DDL), and ask the agent to confirm the subsidy flag against your CA number.

If the flag is not set, repeat the opt-in. The most common cause is that the consent form was opened from a mobile number not registered against the CA number, so the discom could not match the request to the account.

Why the Delhi electricity subsidy does not show on a bill

• The consumer never opted in. Since 1 October 2022 the subsidy is not automatic, and a large number of eligible households have simply never completed the one-time consent.
• Consumption crossed 400 units in that billing month, which removes the subsidy entirely for the month.
• The mobile number on record is stale, so the SMS link with the consent form never reached the consumer.
• The connection is in someone else's name. A previous owner or landlord, and the consent submitted by the occupant does not match the registered consumer.
• The tariff category is wrong. A domestic premises billed under a non-domestic category gets no subsidy until the category is corrected by the discom.
• The bill is a two-month or adjusted bill. The 200-unit and 400-unit tests are applied to a monthly cycle, so a combined bill can push a household past the slab even when average monthly use is low.

What still gets charged. The subsidy is applied only to the energy charge. Fixed charges linked to sanctioned load, the Power Purchase Adjustment Cost (PPAC) surcharge and the electricity tax remain payable, so a zero-energy-charge bill is rarely a literally zero bill. Households with a large sanctioned load sometimes benefit from getting the load reduced to a level that matches actual use, because fixed charges are levied per kW of sanctioned load.

What documents are required?

No fee is payable for the opt-in, and no agent is authorised to charge for "activating" the subsidy on a connection.

Key dates and current status

• 2019: Delhi begins the 200-unit free power arrangement for domestic consumers.
• 1 October 2022, the subsidy becomes optional, and every consumer who wants it must opt in.
• April 2025, the Delhi Cabinet continues subsidy for domestic consumers, agricultural consumers, lawyers' chambers in court complexes and 1984 anti-Sikh riot victim families.
• Budget 2026-27: Rs 3,942 crore allocated to the Power Department, including Rs 3,500 crore for electricity subsidy, alongside Rs 200 crore for shifting overhead wires underground and a proposed Delhi Energy Conservation Fund.

There is no annual re-application. An active consent continues from year to year, but a consumer who changes premises, changes the name on the connection or takes a new connection has to opt in again for the new CA number.

Grievance redressal for the Delhi power subsidy

1. Discom customer care first to 19123 for BSES Rajdhani, 19122 for BSES Yamuna, 19124 for Tata Power-DDL. Quote the CA number and ask for a complaint number.
2. Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF) of your discom, if the complaint is not resolved. Each licensee in Delhi has a CGRF constituted under the Electricity Act, 2003.
3. Electricity Ombudsman, appointed by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission, for appeals against a CGRF order.
4. Power Department, Government of NCT of Delhi, for policy questions about the subsidy itself, as against a billing dispute, which belongs with the discom and DERC machinery.

Tariff questions, the per-unit rate, fixed charges, PPAC, are decided by DERC in its annual tariff order, and are not something the Power Department or the discom can change on a complaint.