In a fresh push to universalize electricity access, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government plans to roll out a Rs17,000 crore scheme.

Aimed at providing electricity access to every rural household, the scheme named Sasti Bijli Har Ghar Yojana may target around 40 million unelectrified households.

Not only will this bring the NDA closer to delivering on its promise to improve energy access, it will also generate fresh demand for electricity in the country—the lack of which is weighing down the entire power sector.

Power minister Piyush Goyal has stated his focus on providing power connections to each and every household of every village.

Around 304 million Indians live without access to electricity.

“This is the next step after village electrification under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), wherein all households will be targeted. The scheme will entail an outlay of around Rs17,000 crore,” said a government official aware of the scheme but requesting anonymity.

A village is declared to be electrified if 10% of the households are given electricity along with public places such as schools, panchayat office, health centres, dispensaries and community centres.

According to the NDA government’s 2015 plan, 18,452 un-electrified villages will be electrified by 1 May 2018. Of these, only 3,458 villages remain to be electrified, with 966 being uninhabited villages.

“It has been seen that the electricity distribution companies (discoms) don’t want to supply to the villages even if the electrification has taken place. By providing electricity access to all village households with meters, demand will be created which in turn will force the discoms to supply to these villages, thereby helping reach the goal of electricity to all,” said another person aware of the plan who also didn’t want to be named.

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