Narendra Modi launches Saubhagya free electricity scheme for 24x7 power in all rural households

[Laozi]

Narendra Modi launches Saubhagya free electricity scheme for 24x7 power in all rural households

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched the Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana 'Saubhagya' electricity scheme to provide 24x7 power to all families across India at the BJP's National Executive meet and on the occasion of birth anniversary of RSS ideologue Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya in New Delhi.

The announcement made at the headquarters of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is expected to reiterate BJP's electricity-for-all policy.

The scheme is expected to electrify all rural households across India by 31 March, 2019, according to the Economic Times, two months ahead of the general elections.

Reinforcing the party's pro-poor push ahead of key Assembly elections and the 2019 general elections, Modi said, "It is unfortunate people light their homes with candles. The government's priority is fulfilling the aspiration of the poor." Modi also added that four crore households will benefit from this scheme aimed at empowering poor of India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the BJP National Executive meet in New Delhi. PTI

The total outlay of the Saubhagya scheme to provide free electricity to all poor families is pegged at Rs 16,320 crores which will be funded to a large extent (Rs 12,320 crores) by the Centre, the government said. Rs 14,025 crores is the outlay for electrification of rural households while Rs 2,295 crores is the outlay for poor urban households.

The Rural Electrification Corporation will be the nodal agency for the operations of the scheme, reported Times Now. Sources said distribution companies will recover Rs 500 crores in 10 installments of electricity bills. The beneficiaries of the Saubhagya scheme will be identified and targeted using the 2011 Census data. The funding pattern for special category states will be as follows: 85 percent grant from Centre, five percent from states and 10 percent from loans.

States which achieve their target by December 2018 will receive additional funds, the government said according to the Business Standard.

The Saubhagya electricity scheme is expected to electrify all willing households, as substitution to kerosene while bringing about an improvement in education, health services, communication and public safety, said The Indian Express. The government claimed it will create more jobs and provide a better quality of life.

This was not Modi's first attempt at providing free electricity to all. In 2015, the government had set a 1,000 day-target to provide electricity in 18,000 villages.

Modi kept up this promise partially. According to an IndiaSpend analysis, of 18,452 unelectrified villages, 76.58 percent or 14,132 villages were electrified in around 750 days from July 2015, when the scheme was launched, (as of June 2017), according to government data.

However, out of the villages which were to benefit from the government's electrification drive, only 8 percent (or 1,145) villages got a power connection in all households, according to data in the power ministry’s Grameen Vidyutikaran (GARV) dashboard.

A village is counted electrified if power is provided in public places such as schools, panchayat offices, health centres, dispensaries and community centres, and at least 10 percent of households, according to the criteria used by the power ministry since October 1997.

With inputs from PTI

http://www.firstpost.com/india/nare...th-aim-at-2019-general-elections-4081275.html

 

[HariPrasad]

Do not give them anything free but give them work.

 

[Goenitz]

election tactics? as majority lives in rural areas and the objective is impossible..

 

[Laozi]

Do not give them anything free but give them work.

This scheme is for poorest of poor

Who has not seen electricity since 70 years after independence

How will they Pay ?

All connections and electricity is free for these poor people and center will foot the maximum share of the scheme. state can start charging when it gives jobs to these people. What's the problem ?

 

[Dark Lord Forever]

Do not give them anything free but give them work.

poor people work too. they work hard like 12 hours day. back breaking labor. but they get paid just little. not enough to feed familis.

so very insansitive post from you. don't blame poor but blame rich who get fat and fat eating haram. blame dalals who jack up prices and get fat eating haram. blame fat policemen who take hafta and eat haram.

these haramis send their children to forign on poor pople's blood money. blame them. but don't blame poor.

 

[RISING SUN]

Narendra Modi launches 'Saubhagya' scheme; promises complete electrification of India by December 2018
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched the 'Saubhagya' scheme under the 'Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana' on the occasion of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay's birth centenary. Modi promised complete electrification in the country, saying an amount of Rs 16,000 crore has been allocated to bring about a monumental change in the lives of the poor. He began by saying no other government has thought as much about the poor as the BJP has.

"We are the first govt to open bank accounts for 15 crore Indians," said Narendra Modi, elaborating how they launched the maximum number of schemes on the poor. He said 70 years after Independence, four crore families are still living without electricity in the country. However, he said, when he came to power, he had promised electricity in 18,000 villages and now less than 3,000 are remaining.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the BJP National Executive meet in New Delhi. PTI

"We have taken multi-dimensional steps which have helped us in achieving electricity surplus," said Modi.

The BJP government has ensured that no poor family has to pay for electric connections, which would not have been possible without the Saubhagya scheme.

Highlighting the plight of poor people in villages of the country, Modi spoke of children who have to study in candlelight, of women who consume polluted gas in the kitchen.

Under the scheme, he said, the government will provide electricity to all households by December 2018, ahead of the earlier target of March 2019. All villages would be electrified by December this year, ahead of the scheduled deadline of 1 May, 2018.

"This is a reflection of working style and will-power," Modi said, adding that power connections will be provided free of cost to all poor families under the scheme. He said that there used to be breaking news regarding power outages due to shortage of coal to power plants, but the situation has now changed, and the nation is moving from a scenario of power shortage to surplus.

He said solar power tariff has dipped to Rs 2.44 per unit and further enlists the benefit of using LED bulbs in households saving Rs 13,700 crore annually. He also called upon ONGC to use its Rs 100 crore start-up funds to develop user-friendly electric cooking appliances, saying it would help in reducing fuel consumption.

According to an official statement, the total outlay of the Saubhagya project is Rs 16,320 crore while the Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) is Rs 12,320 crore. The outlay for rural households is Rs 14,025 crore while GBS is Rs 10,587.50 crore. For urban households, the outlay is Rs 2,295 crore while GBS is Rs 1,732.50 crore.

The Centre will largely provide funds for the scheme to all states and Union territories. Modi further spoke of how power backup has increased seven times and slowly inching towards one nation, one grid and one price aim of New India.

He concluded his speech by saying how equity, sustainability and efficiency are important markers for New India and a clean energy-saving future.

The beneficiaries for free electricity connections would be identified using Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data, the BJP said. However, it added that unelectrified households not covered under the SECC data would also be provided electricity connections under the scheme on payment of Rs 500, which shall be recovered by DISCOMs in 10 instalments through electricity bills.

The solar power packs of 200 to 300 Wp with battery banks for un-electrified households located in remote and inaccessible areas, comprises five LED lights, one DC fan, one DC power plug. Beneficiaries of the Saubhagya scheme shall be identified and their applications for electricity connections along with applicant photographs and identity proof shall be registered on the spot.

The gram panchayat/public institutions in rural areas may be authorised to collect application forms along with complete documentation, distribute bills and collect revenue in consultation with the Panchayat Raj institutions and urban local bodies.

The Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC) will remain the nodal agency for the operationalisation of the scheme throughout the country.

The government has been working hard to electrify all villages in the country and would want to achieve 24X7 power for all by March 2019, the statement said.

In 2015, the prime minister had announced to electrify the remaining 18,452 unelectrified villages within 1,000 days in his Independence Day speech. However, the power ministry is expected to electrify all habited villages by December this year.

According to GARV portal, out of the 18,452 villages, 14,483 villages have been electrified so far. The electrification work is in progress on 2,981 villages while 988 villages are uninhabited.

The portal also indicated that out of the 17.92 crore households in rural areas, 13.87 crore families have electricity connections. As many as 4.05 crore families are yet to be get them.
http://www.firstpost.com/india/nare...cation-of-india-by-december-2018-4081493.html