New Delhi: Power Minister Mr RK Singh on Saturday reiterated government’s commitment to provide electricity connection to every household in the country under Saubhgya scheme by December this year.
Launching a series of initiatives on the occasion of 127th birth anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar in his parliamentary constituency in Arrah in Bihar, Mr Singh said his ministry was working to provide 24×7 power supply to all.
Emphasising the importance of renewable energy for rural areas, the Minister said, off-grid solutions will empower the local women and provide a reliable source of electricity for school going children so they can study and progress well.
“Thus, it will help in integrating the deprived sections of society with the mainstream,” he said.
Of the several initiatives launched, Mr Singh inaugurated Assembly & Distribution Centre for Solar Study Lamps at Mahuli village in Arrah, a Power Ministry statement said.
In this centre, local women Self Help Group (SHG) will assemble Solar Study Lamps and distribute them to underprivileged students who do not have access to electricity.
This initiative is part of the Government scheme of providing 70 lakh Solar Study Lamps in five States where rural household electrification levels are low.
In Bihar, the target is to provide more than 18.84 lakh underprivileged students with Solar Study Lamps. Around 4.57 lakh such lamps have already been distributed to students of the State, an official statement said.
The Power Minister also laid the foundation for a solar photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturing plant in Sherghati block of Gaya district. This plant will be first of its kind in the State, and will be entirely owned and operated by local women Self Help Group Federations.
For this purpose, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Bihar Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (BRLPS) – Jeevika, IIT-Bombay, and the Cluster Level Federation of women self-help group members.
Initiating the government’s Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, Mr Singh flagged off the UJALA van from Arrah. The van will travel across Bihar distributing the LED bulbs and spreading awareness about energy efficiency and energy conservation.
As part of this initiative, 16000 Indian villages with a significantly large number of low income households will be able to buy LED bulbs for a special price of Rs. 50 under the Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) programme.
In Bihar, 635 villages will benefit under this programme. The LED bulbs will equip homes with energy-efficient, cost-effective lighting, and higher lumen output than conventional incandescent bulbs.
Source: UNI
