2.86 crore households electrified under SAUBHAGYA Scheme, more to go

The Government of India launched Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana – SAUBHAGYA in October, 2017 with the objective of achieving 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. Under the aegis of SAUBHAGYA, as on 31.03.2019, all households were reported electrified by the States, except 18,734 households in Left Wing Extremists (LWE) affected areas of Chhattisgarh. Subsequently, seven States namely Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Manipur, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh had reported that around 19.09 lakh un-electrified households, identified before 31.03.2019, which were unwilling earlier but later expressed willingness to get electricity connection. This was also sanctioned. All these seven States had reported 100% households’ electrification as on 31.03.2021. A total of 2.817 crore households were electrified since the launch of SAUBHAGYA, up to 31.03.2021. Thereafter, some States reported 11.84 lakh households remained to be electrified, against which States reported that

4.43 lakh households have been electrified. A total of 2.86 crore households were electrified under the aegis of SAUBHAGYA including additional households in two tranches that were unwilling for electrification earlier but became willing later. The scheme stands closed as on 31.03.2022.

While fresh arising of new households is a continuous process and electrification of such households is expected to be taken care of by the Distribution Utilities, the Government of India stands committed to help the States to electrify all the households which existed when SAUBHAGYA was sanctioned. In this respect, the Government of India recently issued guidelines for their electrification under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) and the States have been advised to pose their DPRs to the Ministry of Power in this regard.

: SAUBHAGYA was for all the states and Union territories and a total of 29 states had participated during its implementation period. Few other State/UTs i.e. Goa, Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Delhi, Kerala, Lakshadweep had reported that most of the houses were already electrified before launch of SAUBHAGYA Scheme and accordingly had not participated in SAUBHAGYA.