Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government has completed preparations to roll out its ambitious scheme providing up to 300 units of free electricity per month to 1.16 lakh extremely poor families across the state, with the Rural Development Department finalising the list of eligible beneficiaries after an extensive verification process.
According to officials, the department prepared the beneficiary list through a seven-stage verification process, ensuring that assistance reaches the most deserving households. Unlike conventional income-based selection, the exercise assessed families using six socio-economic criteria, including social status, employment conditions, and health-related vulnerabilities.
Under the scheme, priority has been given to families with an annual income of ₹75,000 or less. The government has also extended special preference to households dependent on daily-wage labour, families with members suffering from serious illnesses, persons with disabilities, widows, single and divorced women, and families caring for orphaned children.
Officials said the rigorous selection process was designed to ensure transparency and prevent ineligible beneficiaries from availing the scheme.
Rural Development Department spokesperson said the department has completed the exercise and the report will soon be submitted to the state government for further action.
The verification process was carried out at multiple administrative levels, from gram panchayats to district authorities. Local bodies, elected panchayat representatives, and departmental officials jointly assessed the status of applicant families through document verification and social scrutiny.
Officials said the multi-layered verification mechanism was adopted to ensure that the benefits of the free electricity scheme reach only genuinely needy families, while maintaining fairness and accountability in the selection process.
