By TRN Online, Kathmandu, Aug. 11: The government has decided to provide free electricity to the people who consume only up to 20 units a month, with a view to extending some relief to the poor.

Pampha Bushal, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, informed at a press meet today at the Ministry that this provision will be implemented within a month as the scheme has already been endorsed by the NEA board and that a proposal in this regard has been forwarded to the concerned commission for electricity tariff regulation.

She said that the scheme would benefit at least 2 million impoverished households across the country.

As per the new decision, those households using up to 20 units of electricity will have to pay only the service charge which at present is Rs. 30 a month.

She said that the ministry has also decided to provide up to 80 per cent concession in the electricity used for irrigation in farmland. "But, if the electricity in such irrigation system as shallow tube-well is used in the other period than the peak hour, there will be 100 per cent concession."

She said the scheme was introduced to help growth in the agriculture sector and make the country self-reliant on food grain and fruit production.

She said 388,000 households will be benefited from the concession on electricity for shallow tube well.

She said the ministry was making a plan to reduce the electricity tariff to Rs. 11 per unit with a view to encouraging the use of electricity in cooking at the household level so that use of LP gas is reduced.