Latest news with #HERC
Hindustan Times
01-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Hike in power tariff: Former finance minister seeks review of HERC tariff order, files petition
Seeking a review of the increased electricity tariff in Haryana, former finance minister, Sampat Singh on Monday said that he has filed a review petition challenging the March 28 tariff order issued by the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC). The Congress leader said the regulator's order gave a tariff shock to consumers across all categories when they received their electricity bills in June 2025. During a briefing at Haryana Congress office on Monday, Singh said that there were widespread public protests against the new tariff regime across the state. (HT File) During a briefing at Haryana Congress office on Monday, Singh said that there were widespread public protests against the new tariff regime across the state. Raising concerns over the pricing mechanism adopted by the power utilities, the former minister said that the power utilities were purchasing 7,964.28 crore units of power at a cost of ₹ 3.12 per unit. But the same is being sold to consumers at an average rate of ₹ 7.29 per unit,' he said. Singh also pointed out that out of the total power purchased, only 6,916 crore units were reaching consumers, implying that the transmission and distribution losses exceeded 22%. Referring to the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) undertaken by the Haryana government in September 2015, which covered ₹ 34,000 crore of liabilities of the power utilities, he said that post-UDAY, the power distribution companies reported a profit of ₹ 800 crore for the first time in March 2021. 'However, instead of reducing the tariffs, the burden on consumers has been increased,' he said. The Congress leader said domestic consumers now faced fixed charges ranging between ₹ 50 to ₹ 75 per kW. Additionally, per unit charges had been raised by 25% to 50%. This is the first time that fixed charges have been introduced for domestic consumers. Besides the telescopic slab system of consumption of power had been given a go by. Commercial consumers had been adversely affected by the merger of their category with LT and HT supply, raising fixed charges from ₹ 165 to ₹ 290 per kVA, and per unit charges from ₹ 6.65 to ₹ 6.95. He also criticised the continuation of a 47 paise per unit fuel surcharge adjustment that was supposed to end in June 2024.
The Hindu
30-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Congress leader challenges Haryana power tariff hike, files review petition
Senior Congress leader and former Minister Sampat Singh has filed a review petition before the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) challenging the recent electricity tariff hike that has sparked protests in the State. The tariff revision, which came into effect in April, has been met with resistance from various consumer categories, including industrial associations and domestic users. Prof. Singh, in his petition, has sought a public hearing to address the pressing concerns of consumers. He described the HERC's order as a 'tariff shock', which was experienced by consumers across all categories when they received their electricity bills in June. The Congress leader also questioned the pricing mechanism adopted by power utilities. 'The utilities are purchasing 7,964.28 crore units of power at ₹3.12 per unit, while selling it to consumers at an average rate of ₹7.29 per unit,' he said at a press conference in Chandigarh. According to Prof. Singh, out of the total power purchased, only 6,916 crore units are reaching consumers, implying transmission and distribution losses exceeding 22%, which are effectively being passed on to consumers. He referred to the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) undertaken by the Haryana government in September 2015, which had recovered ₹34,000 crore in liabilities of power utilities. Prof. Singh pointed out that post-UDAY, the discoms reported a profit of ₹800 crore for the first time in March 2021, but instead of reducing tariffs, the burden on consumers has increased. The Congress leader highlighted the impact of the tariff hike on domestic consumers, who now face fixed charges ranging from ₹50 to ₹75 per kW. Additionally, per unit charges were raised by 25-50%, with fixed charges being introduced for domestic consumers for the first time. Commercial consumers have also been adversely affected by the merger of their category with low tension (LT) and high tension (HT) supply, raising fixed charges from ₹165 to ₹290 per kVA and per unit charges from ₹6.65 to ₹6.95. Prof. Singh also criticised the continuation of a 47 paise per unit Fuel Surcharge Adjustment that was supposed to end in June 2024. Furthermore, he highlighted the ₹8,000-crore defaulting dues of around 22 lakh consumers, warning that the remaining consumers are indirectly bearing this cost. Meanwhile, several industrial associations, including the Manesar Industries Welfare Association, NCR Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Bahadurgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, have separately written to Power Minister Anil Vij and Chief Minister Nayab Saini, seeking a rollback of the tariff hike. They have termed the hike an 'additional financial burden' for micro, small, and medium enterprises. However, Mr. Vij has claimed that approximately 94% of electricity consumers in Haryana fall under Category-I (connected load up to 2 kW and monthly consumption up to 100 units) and Category-II (connected load up to 5 kW), and most of their bills have decreased. He emphasised that there has been no change in the electricity tariff for agricultural consumers. For HT consumers, the tariff revision from 2024-25 to 2025-26 shows a moderate increase of 7% to 10% depending on load and consumption. The Minister added that in the LT category, the increase among various consumers is relatively moderate, ranging from 4% to 7%. The Minister also compared Haryana's electricity tariffs with neighbouring States, claiming that Haryana charges significantly lower electricity tariffs for both LT and HT consumer categories, making it a cost-effective option. He pointed out that in neighbouring States, fixed charges go up to ₹450 per kW for LT and ₹475 per kW for HT categories, while energy charges go up to ₹8.95 per unit for LT and ₹7.75 per unit for HT categories.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam to credit security deposit interest to power bills of 41 lakh consumers
Gurgaon: The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) will credit around Rs 150 crore in the electricity bills of nearly 41 lakh consumers as a way of paying interests on advance security deposits (ACD) collected by the discom earlier. Advance security deposit is an amount (equal to two average billing cycles) that is charged from consumers at the time of establishing a new power connection or increasing load capacity. DHBVN had collected Rs 2,234 crore from its consumers as advance deposits. In 2022, Haryana's Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) made it mandatory for discoms to review advance deposits collected by consumers. DHBVN then decided to pay consumers interests on these deposits. The interest accrued in a year is supposed to be adjusted in the bills for the customer by the next financial year. But, if the discom fails to do this, the discom will have to pay higher interest – at 18% -- for the delayed time period. "DHBVN has decided to pay interest at the rate of 6.75% per annum on the advance security amount (ACD) deposited by consumers. This Rs 150.8 crore is interest received by all consumers on their security deposits," said A Sreenivas, managing director of DHBVN and secretary of Haryana's energy department. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Зачем на ночь сжигают лавровый лист? Undo "The consumption security deposit is collected as per the direction of HERC. On the advance collected by discom, consumers will get annual interest, which will be adjusted against their electricity bills," said a senior DHBVN official. According to the discom, Rs 3,454.7 lakh is to be paid to 6.2 lakh consumers in Faridabad circle, and Rs 5799.5 lakh to 6.3 lakh consumers in the two Gurgaon circles. Earlier, residents challenged the collection of advance security deposits, alleging that multiple such payments were sought. "We already deposited the security amount to the discom at the time of taking the electricity connection, they again took advance security deposit. Despite all this, we continue to face poor quality of power supply," said Pradeep Sharma, a resident of Sector 45 in Gurgaon. Officials had denied this, saying deposits were taken only during a new connection or for increasing load capacity.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Discom to credit security deposit interest to power bills of 41L consumers in Gurgaon
Gurgaon: The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) will credit around Rs 150 crore in the electricity bills of nearly 41 lakh consumers as a way of paying interests on advance security deposits (ACD) collected by the discom earlier. Advance security deposit is an amount (equal to two average billing cycles) that is charged from consumers at the time of establishing a new power connection or increasing load capacity. DHBVN had collected Rs 2,234 crore from its consumers as advance deposits. In 2022, Haryana's Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) made it mandatory for discoms to review advance deposits collected by consumers. DHBVN then decided to pay consumers interests on these deposits. The interest accrued in a year is supposed to be adjusted in the bills for the customer by the next financial year. But, if the discom fails to do this, the discom will have to pay higher interest – at 18% -- for the delayed time period. "DHBVN has decided to pay interest at the rate of 6.75% per annum on the advance security amount (ACD) deposited by consumers. This Rs 150.8 crore is interest received by all consumers on their security deposits," said A Sreenivas, managing director of DHBVN and secretary of Haryana's energy department. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo "The consumption security deposit is collected as per the direction of HERC. On the advance collected by discom, consumers will get annual interest, which will be adjusted against their electricity bills," said a senior DHBVN official. According to the discom, Rs 3,454.7 lakh is to be paid to 6.2 lakh consumers in Faridabad circle, and Rs 5799.5 lakh to 6.3 lakh consumers in the two Gurgaon circles. Earlier, residents challenged the collection of advance security deposits, alleging that multiple such payments were sought. "We already deposited the security amount to the discom at the time of taking the electricity connection, they again took advance security deposit. Despite all this, we continue to face poor quality of power supply," said Pradeep Sharma, a resident of Sector 45 in Gurgaon. Officials had denied this, saying deposits were taken only during a new connection or for increasing load capacity.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Heeding the lessons of COVID-19 in the face of avian influenza
Infectious disease outbreaks have a bad habit of piling on at the worst possible times. The 1918 flu pandemic, also known as the Spanish flu, caught the world by surprise just as the First World War was coming to an end. It was responsible for killing three to five per cent of the world's population (50-100 million people, equivalent to about 400 million today). Now, as we reflect on five years since the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic and face economic uncertainty imposed by the United States administration — as well as lingering conflicts in places such as the Middle East and Ukraine — it's the steady march of avian influenza, or 'bird flu,' that poses an imminent threat to humanity. Bird flu has been causing a flurry of human infections, especially in U.S. cattle workers. If the virus learns to spread effectively from human to human, it could change the course of history. Even though our weary world already feels maxed out, we have to make room to avert yet another crisis. Read more: The good news is that we know how to minimize risk and mobilize resources quickly, before the virus starts moving from human-to-human. Knowing what to do and actually doing it, though, are very different, as we saw all too well five years ago when COVID-19 shut down much of the world, killing more than seven million people worldwide. And it's not through with us yet. The question is whether we will act in time to head off a bird flu pandemic. The Spanish Flu was the first of five influenza pandemics since the end of the First World War. A sixth is inevitable without co-ordinated global action. Otherwise, the only questions are when it will it come and how bad it will be. Read more: Infectious diseases constitute a permanent threat to society, especially as vaccine hesitancy and misinformation grow. Fighting pandemics needs to be a full-time, ongoing priority for governments everywhere. After the arrival of COVID-19, there were some impressive investments in infrastructure and science to support pandemic preparedness, but many were essentially one-time projects. Canada needs to establish permanent capacity to prevent and respond to health emergencies. Government agencies specifically dedicated to supporting the development of medical countermeasures for pathogens that pose a pandemic risk, like the recently established Health Emergencies Readiness Canada (HERC), are a step in the right direction. However, we must also re-prioritize investments in the fundamental research that is the birthplace of new medical and non-medical solutions to pandemic preparedness — where we currently lag far behind essentially all of our G7 counterparts. This has never been more important than in the current global political context. The cost of acting to prevent or limit a pandemic is infinitesimal compared to the price of letting one happen, whether one measures the toll in human lives, or in dollars. The world needs to adopt a collective mentality that we are 'all in' on prevention if we want to maximize our chances of avoiding the next pandemic. We cannot sit on our hands and hope we get lucky. That strategy has failed us in the past and will doom us in the future. Today, as we stand on the brink of an avian influenza pandemic that could be significantly worse than COVID-19, too much of the world seems unaware, unprepared or largely disengaged. Globally, more than 900 humans are known to have been infected by H5N1 avian influenza so far. The death rate associated with these human infections is a staggering one in two, placing it on par with threats such as Ebola. Death rates resulting from human infections of the most prevalent currently circulating H5N1 virus in the U.S. (clade 2.3.4.4b) have been much lower — though the very narrow demographic characteristics of the individuals that have been infected leaves many questions regarding the true danger that this virus poses to the population at-large. Avian influenza has become more prevalent than ever in our environment. Having adapted to spread efficiently among cattle and other mammals, the virus will follow its biological imperative to adapt and survive. No responsible country can ignore the possibility that person-to-person spread could start anywhere and quickly wash over the planet. Read more: Certainly, Canada is treating the issue seriously, as I know from my work with the Public Health Agency of Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, the Ontario Immunization Advisory Committee and other bodies. But the effort to stop or at least slow avian influenza needs to include all countries and to engage everyday people, especially those who work directly with birds, cattle and other wild and domestic animals. The best tactics to stave off a pandemic, at least at this point, are relatively unintrusive, targeted interventions. It's critical that farm workers, veterinarians and others who work with animals follow careful protocols such as wearing masks and goggles, sanitizing equipment and continuing to cull poultry flocks where exposure is identified. We also need to educate hunters about protective measures to lower their risk of exposure. Most mitigation measures are entirely non-medical — though offering vaccines to those at high risk of exposure, as Finland has done, would be prudent. It's much easier to target vaccination programs to high-risk groups than to organize a global vaccine campaign after a pandemic has begun. We need to encourage these groups to take every possible action to protect themselves — and therefore the world — and to provide financial supports that enable them to comply without cost. If avian flu becomes established among humans, which could happen rapidly and with very little warning, COVID-19 has shown that only a swift, decisive and truly global approach can fend off disaster. A significant lesson from COVID-19 is that we have to support pandemic prevention and response efforts for people in every corner of the world, however remote they may be, and that we must reach vulnerable populations within wealthy countries, such as elderly, frail and marginalized people, and those affected by poverty. These are the people always impacted most by infectious diseases. A selective distribution of resources among the planet's wealthiest populations will not provide the protection the world needs and will only enlarge and extend the reach of a new pandemic. We must remember what it was like to close down schools, workplaces and public gatherings and to have hospitals overflowing with patients as clinicians risked their lives to care for them. We could have saved so many people and so much money by taking the threat more seriously from the outset, including providing better public education about evidence-based measures such as masking and vaccines. It's past time we made pandemic prevention and response a permanent priority, no matter what else is happening in the world. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organisation bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Matthew S Miller, McMaster University Read more: An ounce of prevention: Now is the time to take action on H5N1 avian flu, because the stakes are enormous U.S. has found H5N1 flu virus in milk — here's why the risk to humans is likely low Without a One Health plan, Canada is vulnerable to future pandemics Matthew S Miller is co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of AeroImmune Inc. He has received compensation from Seqirus, Sanofi, GSK, Roche, Grifols, and Aramis Biotechnologies for participating on advisory boards and for supporting educational activities. He has received research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Research Chairs Program, the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, Ontario Centre of Innovation, Bay Area Health Trust, Providence Therapeutics, JN Nova Pharma, Lactiga, and Zentek. He is a member of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization COVID-19 Working Group and H5N1 Influenza Working Group. He is also a member of the Ontario Immunization Advisory Committee and the Public Health Agency of Canada Expert Panel on Avian Influenza A(H5Nx).
