Bengaluru Tenants Can Switch Electricity Accounts Under Gruha Jyoti Scheme

In a move aimed at easing the transition for tenants living in rental houses, the Karnataka government has introduced a new ‘D-Link’ facility under its ambitious Gruha Jyoti free electricity scheme.

The Gruha Jyoti scheme, a key election promise of the ruling Congress party, offers up to 200 units of free electricity per month to all consumers in the state. Initially, the government had stated that the scheme’s benefits would be extended to tenants living in rental houses as well.

However, a major challenge arose when these tenants had to change their rental accommodations. Those who were availing the zero-bill benefit by providing the RR (Residential Registration) number of their previous rental house faced difficulties in continuing the scheme after shifting houses.

Recognizing this issue, the state government has now introduced the ‘Namma BESCOM’ D-Link facility, which allows tenants to seamlessly transfer their Gruha Jyoti scheme registration when they change their rental homes.

“Through the D-Link service, consumers who have changed their rental houses can now easily de-link their old RR number and link the new one to continue availing the benefits of the Gruha Jyoti scheme,” a BESCOM official said.

The process involves logging into the Sevasindhu portal, entering the old RR number to de-link, and then providing the new RR number to link it with the scheme. Consumers need to authenticate the process using their registered Aadhaar number and an OTP.

This new facility has been welcomed by thousands of Bengaluru tenants who were previously facing challenges in porting their Gruha Jyoti scheme benefits when they moved to new rental accommodations.