BEST Extends Abhay Scheme-2026 Cut-Off To August 31, 2023; Upto 19,000 Consumers To Benefit

Mumbai, September 23, 2026: The BEST committee on Wednesday approved an extension of its Abhay Scheme-2026, bringing electricity consumers with dues pending up to August 31, 2023, under the scheme.

Earlier, the scheme covered defaulters with dues up to March 31, 2022. The extension is expected to benefit around 18,000-19,000 consumers and help BEST recover an estimated Rs 43-45 crore in outstanding revenue.

Cut-Off Date Extended

The decision was taken after BEST committee members sought that the cut-off date be extended during discussions on the proposal. BEST had originally proposed the March 31, 2022 cut-off.

Committee chairperson Trishna Vishwasrao approved the proposal and directed officials to complete the process for implementing the revised cut-off date. Members also stressed the need for wider publicity so that more consumers can avail themselves of the scheme and clear their pending electricity bills.

Scheme Targets Old Dues

The Abhay scheme was introduced in 2009 to facilitate recovery of outstanding electricity dues from consumers whose connections had been permanently disconnected.

According to BEST, around 16,900 consumers have outstanding dues of nearly Rs 39 crore, of which only about Rs 10.62 crore has been recovered so far. With the cut-off extended, BEST expects the number of eligible consumers to increase by around 2,000, potentially generating an additional Rs 3-4 crore in revenue.

Committee member Sunil Ahir said BEST should adopt a practical approach to recover money that has remained stuck as outstanding dues. “Crores of rupees in revenue are held up because of outstanding dues. BEST should take a practical approach towards recovering the amount,” he said.

Awareness Campaign Planned

Members also called for an extensive awareness campaign across Mumbai. Committee member Ramakant Gupta suggested using promotional vehicles across all 10 Assembly constituencies to reach consumers. Vishwasrao said information about the scheme would also be circulated through social media and other platforms.

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BEST has introduced similar Abhay schemes in 2009, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2024 to simplify recovery of old dues. The highest number of cases linked to outstanding dues was recorded in 2018, when 2,415 cases were identified. BEST recovered only Rs 4.99 crore in those cases. Between 2018 and 2024, 3,902 cases resulted in recovery of Rs 10.62 crore.

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