To end VIP culture in the state, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Sunday that the state will scrap the free electricity facility for ministers and public servants. Starting from July 2024, all public servants and ministers, including CM Sarma, will pay their own electricity bills.
While sharing the announcement on social media platform X, Himanta Biswa Sarma volunteered to be the first to pay his power bills from July 1, setting an example for other ministers and public servants.
“We are ending the #VIPCulture rule of paying electricity bills of Government officials using tax payer money. Myself and the Chief Secretary will set an example and start paying our power bills from July 1 onwards,” wrote Himanta Biswa Sarma on X.
The new rule would help the electricity board reduce its losses. From July 1, all public servants, government officials, employees, and ministers will pay their own bills, said Assam CM in the video shared along with the post.
The Assam CM further added that the government had launched a programme to automatically disconnect electricity at all government offices, except for the CM Secretariat, Home, and Finance Departments, at 8 pm.
The initiative has already been implemented in 8,000 government offices, schools, and other institutions throughout the state.
“Our aim is to gradually move all government establishments to solar power, and we are exploring beginning this work from our Medical Colleges and Universities across the State,” Assam CM added.
The Assam CM also launched the Janata Bhawan Solar Project during a ceremony at the state Secretariat complex on Sunday. Under the project, the state government would promote the use of renewable energy. It features a 2.5 MW capacity grid-connected solar PV system installed on rooftops and ground surfaces.
The Janata Bhawan Solar Project would yield an average of 3 lakh units of electricity per month. The ₹12.56 crore investment is expected to be recovered within four years.
With the project's implementation, the Assam Secretariat complex would become India's first civil secretariat to rely entirely on solar-generated electricity for daily consumption.
