NEW DELHI // As a new year’s gift to the Indian capital, its new chief minister announced yesterday the government will slash power costs by half, fulfilling another top campaign pledge a day after he promised a free supply of water.
The Aam Aadmi Party chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, who missed his first day in the office Monday due to an upset stomach, chaired a cabinet meeting yesterday to announce electricity rates would be halved starting January 1, 2014 till March 31, 2014.
“The subsidy will apply to those consuming less than 400 units of power and help 280,000 consumers in Delhi,” Mr Kejriwal said.
Only two days into his job, the anti-corruption champion implemented two key campaign promises to slash power costs and supply free water.
Not only that, but he also stuck to his word on greater transparency on Monday when he tweeted freely about the “Delhi belly” that had spoiled his first day.
Twitter was abuzz when Mr Kejriwal tweeted about his “severe loose motions”, overshadowing his achievement in supplying nearly 700 litres of water per day to consumers in a city of some 16 million.
Critics have said giving out free water will encourage wastefulness in a country where water is in short supply.
Mr Kejriwal, whose pledge to fight for India’s “common man” won over voters in New Delhi state polls, had been set to start governing the capital on Monday after being sworn in at the weekend.
Agence France-Presse
