2.86 crore households electrified under SAUBHAGYA scheme
SAUBHAGYA lightened up the whole nation. The households which had not seen electricity even after 75 years of Independence, are now witnessing its sustainability in full glory.
As on 31.03.2021, a total of 2.817 crore households were electrified since the launch of the “SAUBHAGYA” scheme. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on August 2, 2023, the Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy R.K Singh informed. He threw light also on the overall status of implementation and coverage of the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana -“SAUBHAGYA” in the country.
What is SAUBHAGYA?
The Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana –SAUBHAGYA was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of the birth centenary celebration of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya on 25th September 2017. Its objective was to achieve universal household electrification by providing electricity connections to all un-electrified households in rural areas and all poor households in urban areas in the country. The scheme closed on 31.03.2022. A total of 29 states participated during the scheme period, as per the SAUBHAGYA portal. The implementing authority was the Ministry of Power.
Major attractions of the SAUBHAGYA
SAUBHAGYA targeted to achieve 24×7 power for all by 2019 by providing electricity connection to each household across the country. Scheme also provided subsidies on equipment such as transformers, wires and meters. Moreover, Power connection will be provided in both rural and urban areas of the country. A dedicated web portal for SAUBHAGYA has been developed to capture the information and progress of household electrification.
Status of implementation of SAUBHAGYA
Under the aegis of SAUBHAGYA , all households were reported electrified by the states. However, 18,734 households in Left Wing Extremists (LWE) affected areas of Chhattisgarh were left untouched by the scheme. Afterwards, a total of approximately 19.09 lakh households in seven states—namely, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Manipur, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh—reported their willingness to receive electricity connections. These households had previously been identified as un-electrified and had initially declined the offer, but they later expressed their desire to be connected. This was also sanctioned. As on 31.03.2021, all these seven States had reported 100% household electrification.
Afterwards, the states mentioned that there were still some households without electricity. In response, they reported electrifying 4.43 lakh households, bringing the total number of electrified households to 2.86 crore.
SAUBHAGYA undoubtedly lightened up the whole nation. The households which had not seen electricity even after 75 years of Independence, are now witnessing its sustainability in full glory.
