Government is putting another Rs 17.213 billion before Parliament for electricity-bill relief. The number is large. What matters to households is what actually disappears from the bill.
A supplementary estimate for Rs 17.213 billion was scheduled to be presented to Parliament yesterday to provide relief to consumers facing electricity bills. Parliamentary business was rearranged to accommodate the measure, with approval expected today.
That is a substantial amount of public money. But the test of electricity relief is not the size of the announcement. It is the effect on the monthly bill paid by the household, the small shop, the restaurant and the struggling business.
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Sri Lankans have lived through repeated electricity tariff increases during the economic crisis, followed by adjustments as the power sector recovered.
So there is a simple question worth following when the details emerge:
Rs 17.2 billion is being spent on relief. How much relief will the individual consumer actually feel?
