Chandigarh, May 11 -- Member of Parliament Manish Tewari has urged the Chandigarh administration to introduce a targeted welfare scheme offering 300 units of free electricity and 20,000 litres of free water to low-income households, saying savings after power privatisation make the proposal financially viable.

In a communication to the UT administration, Tewari said visits to 22 urban villages and several rehabilitation colonies revealed growing distress among urban poor and lower middle-class families struggling with rising food prices and overall living costs. Many residents, he said, are struggling to pay lease rentals and licence fees for small flats, facing cancellation notices and steep penalties.

The MP said expenditure on power ...