Haryana Power Minister Ranjit Singh on Friday said that due to the Corona virus epidemic, all-cash counters of the department have been closed for one month and no surcharge will be levied on the electricity bill for one month.

Apart from this, consumers paying their electricity bills digitally will be given a special discount of 2% on their electricity bill. He has announced that in the wake of Corona epidemic an amount of Rs 5 lakh will be contributed from his personal fund to the Chief Minister Corona Relief Fund. He further announced that as long as the epidemic remains, he will also contribute his monthly salary to this fund.

The Minister said that as the electricity department is a big department and is directly connected with the people, therefore, masks and sanitizers are being provided to all the employees of the department due to the Corona epidemic.

He said the employees of the department everywhere are performing their duties dedicatedly and it is being ensured that there is no breakdown anywhere in the State. The officers of the department have been directed to be available to the people in every way. He said that the people of the State can contact him directly as he is 24x7 available for them.  He said that if people face any breakdown anywhere in the State, then he can be directly contacted.

Singh, who is also the Jails minister said that as per the  directions of the Supreme Court, about 5000 prisoners and inmates in the State jails will be given parole and most of them will go to their homes. He said that though not a single suspected case of Corona has been reported in the State jails so far, still a precaution is been taken to ensure for reducing overcrowding in the jails.

He informed that in this regard, the committee including Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Rajiv Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Vijai Vardhan, and DGP Jail, K. Selvaraj has taken a decision, under which the prisoners and prisoners an inmates are being given parole upto 8 weeks.

The Minister said prisoners or inmates who went on parole for the first time and returned on time, their parole is being extended further. Apart from this, the prisoner or inmates who want to go on parole are being given parole and the one who wants to go on bail is being given bail. He shared that those who are convicted in heinous crimes namely rape and acid attack will not get this benefit.