Lucknow, April 25 -- The Uttar Pradesh government has announced major relief for small electricity consumers, ensuring continued power supply even in case of negative balance. Energy minister Arvind Kumar Sharma said that domestic consumers with load up to 1 kilowatt will not face disconnection for 30 days, regardless of how much their balance went into the negative. "The move is aimed at protecting consumers from sudden outages and giving them time to clear dues," he said. In addition, consumers with up to 2 kilowatt connections will also benefit, as their power supply will not be cut for negative balances up to Rs 200. The government has also made it mandatory to send five SMS alerts before any disconnection, ensuring transparency and giving consumers adequate notice to make payments. Officials have been directed not to disconnect electricity supply before completion of the stipulated period under any circumstances. Amid rising temperatures, the minister has also instructed departments to expedite maintenance work to ensure uninterrupted supply. Sharma claimed that Uttar Pradesh had emerged as the leading state in power supply across the country and assured that there would be no disruption during the peak summer, with the government committed to providing reliable and quality electricity to consumers....