Government walks the talk on climate change, distributes over 10 crore LED bulbs under UJALA
The Government of India has distributed over 10 crore LED bulbs across the country under the Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) scheme. The scheme was launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi in January 2015.Efficient domestic lighting is one of the largest contributors to energy savings globally and the distribution of 10 crore LED bulbs in India has led to savings of over 1,298 crore kWh annually. This number has also helped the country avoid capacity of about 2,600 MW. Most importantly, the country has benefitted from reduction of CO2 emission by over 1 crore tonnes annually. The scheme is executed by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under Ministry of Power.
On this occasion, Hon’ble Minister for Power, Coal and Renewable Energy, Sh. Piyush Goyal said: “Distribution of 10 crore LED bulbs is not only our achievement, but of that the consumers as well. India has a clear vision to reduce our carbon emissions by 30-35% and energy efficiency is pivotal to achieving this target. Through the UJALA scheme, we have demonstrated our commitment to the country and the world. Taking this commitment forward, we would be procuring 20 crore bulbs this year, leading to more reduction in carbon emission.”
Under India’s commitment to achieving 30-35% reduced carbon emissions, the country has recognised energy efficiency as a key mitigation strategy. Therefore, the government is committed to executing schemes like UJALA. State governments are voluntarily adopting this scheme and the scheme is already present in over 13 states. EESL would be starting distribution in three more states within a month.
The UJALA scheme has played a significant role in creating awareness about energy efficient lighting. In 2014-15, the total number of LED bulbs that were distributed was mere 30 lakhs. The number of LED bulbs distributed in 2015-16 has crossed 15 crore, where 9 crore LED bulbs were distributed under UJALA and the remaining were contributed by the industry. For this year, the Government of India is confident of distributing an additional 20 crore LED bulbs. Sustained efforts under UJALA, coupled with industry support, will help the government achieve its objective of replacing 77 crore inefficient bulbs by March 2019.LED bulbs consume half the energy as that of CFLs and one tenth as that of incandescent bulbs. UJALA is the largest non-subsidised LED programme in the world. The programme has led to significant savings to the consumers who are using these bulbs.
