Electricity charges are the same for any place of worship in Telangana and Tamil Nadu
Update (24 July 2024):
A recent social media post alleges that the Delhi government is biased against Hindu religious places regarding electricity charges. According to the post, the electricity tariffs are Rs. 7.85 per unit for common people, Hindu temples, and gaushalas, while churches and mosques are charged only Rs. 1.85 per unit (here).
However, the Delhi electricity department charges all places of worship equally. The distribution of electricity in the state is primarily managed by private companies such as BRPL, BYPL, and TPDDL, as well as government units like MES and NMDC.
According to the latest electricity tariff schedule for the financial year 2020-21, all places of worship are classified under the domestic category. This category is charged Rs. 3.00/kWh for up to 200 units, with rates increasing progressively based on usage. This demonstrates that power tariffs are the same for all places of worship, regardless of religion.
The charges for various distribution companies can be viewed here and here. Last year, the state’s power regulatory authority permitted distribution companies to increase power tariffs. According to this decision, users consuming more than 200 units will have to pay an average additional surcharge of about 8% while tariffs for users consuming less than 200 units per month will remain unchanged.
Update (20 October 2022):
Another post which states that while ordinary citizens and temples are charged electricity at Rs. 7.85 per unit, mosques and churches are charged Rs. 1.85 per unit is being shared widely in Telangana.
However, as per Telangana State Electricity Regulatory Commission tariff order, there is no distinction between electricity charges among any of the religious places. All wholly religious places (namely Churches, Temples, Mosques, Gurudwaras) are charged at Rs. 6.40/unit (for load upto 2 kW), and Rs. 7.00/unit (for load above 2 kW).
Published (20 May 2022):
An infographic titled ‘Electricity Charges for Religious Places in Tamil Nadu’ is being shared widely on social media with a claim that Temples are charged at Rs. 8/unit whereas Mosques and Churches are charged at Rs. 2.85/unit. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: The electricity charges in Tamil Nadu for Temples is Rs. 8/unit whereas the same for Mosques and Churches is Rs. 2.85/unit.
Fact: All the places of worship are charged the same tariff rate. It can be seen in various orders that there is no religious discrimination in the electricity tariff rate in Tamil Nadu. Also, the Tamil Nadu Electricity officials have clarified to FACTLY that the viral message is wrong. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched for the information on the ‘Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC)’ website, the details related to electricity tariff were found in an order released for the 2019-20 financial year. In the order, the term ‘Actual Places of Public Worship’ was mentioned and there was no separate mention of different religious places. For every two months, the places of public worship are charged a fixed amount of Rs. 120 and for every unit till 120 units, they are charged at Rs. 2.85/unit (actual – Rs. 5.75/unit and govt. subsidy – Rs. 2.90/unit). For electricity consumption beyond 120 units, the tariff is Rs. 5.75/unit (no subsidy). The details regarding the total amount of subsidy can be also seen in the TNERC order. They have estimated around Rs. 16.30 crore subsidy to the places of public worship for the year 2019-20.
The above-mentioned details are related to ‘Low Tension Supply’. If the places of public worship have ‘High Tension Supply’, then the tariff rates change. Those rates can also be seen on the ‘Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO)’ website. Also, when a request was made in 2006 to give concessions to some temples, an order was passed to give concessions to all the places of worship based on their income.
When FACTLY contacted Tamil Nadu electricity department, they have also clarified that the tariff is not different for different places of worship. They have also mentioned that the viral message is wrong.
To sum it up, the electricity charges are the same for any place of worship in Tamil Nadu.
Update (MARCH 05, 2021):
It has been brought to our notice that, in response to an RTI application, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) has responded that, though Hindu temples registered under Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department are charged at the same rate as other religious places, Hindu temples which are not under HR&CE are charged at commercial rates. We at Factly have also filed an RTI with TANGEDCO seeking further information, and this article will be updated as and when we receive a relevant response.
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