The Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi Government on Tuesday announced 20,000 litres of water free of cost to every household per month in the national Capital. However, water tariff will be charged if the consumption exceeds 20,000 litres. The water scheme is expected to benefit 18 lakh households in the city, nearly five lakh households more since January 2014 when the AAP Government first came to power in Delhi. The Delhi Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal approved the scheme on Tuesday. It will come into effect from the beginning of next month and will cost the exchequer Rs.21 crore to implement for the entire month of March. “Each household will be provided 20,000 litres of water each month and consumers getting free water will not require to pay for sewer charges,” said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in a press conference. He said that the scheme will also cover group housing societies such as the ones in Dwarka, Rohini and Patparganj. The Delhi Cabinet approved an estimate of Rs.250 crore for the next financial year, which includes the cost of installing more meters to allow more and more people to get the benefit of piped water, Mr. Sisodia said. While the AAP Government in its 49-day rule in 2013 was criticised for not taking into account households that were not connected through pipelines, Mr. Sisodia did not throw light on how the government plans to ride over hiccups it encountered the last time the water scheme was implemented.