Overview
- Manish Tewari asked the UT Administrator to grant 300 units of free electricity and 20,000 litres of free water each month to households earning under Rs 20,000.
- He said budgeted power spending fell from Rs 1,027.87 crore in 2024–25 to Rs 171.86 crore in 2026–27 after distribution shifted to CPDL, creating Rs 856.01 crore in fiscal room.
- He proposed that the Administration reimburse CPDL through Supplementary Demands for Grants of Rs 856–1,000 crore, with free power starting July 1, 2026.
- For water, he estimated a Rs 15–20 crore annual cost for low-income families and noted a 2024 Municipal Corporation resolution for free water that has not been carried out.
- BJP leader Sanjay Tandon rejected the demand as hollow and cited Congress-run Himachal Pradesh’s record on free power and water.