Under the government’s UJALA program, the Energy Efficiency Services Limited has distributed over 353 million LED bulbs so far. This, in turn, has resulted in an estimated energy savings of 45.85 billion kWh per year with an avoided peak demand of 9,180 MW and an estimated greenhouse emission reduction of 37.13 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.

The Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) had distributed 90 million LED bulbs under the UJALA program in the financial year 2015-16, Mercom had reported back in 2017.

In 2015, the Indian government unveiled a program called ‘Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All’ (UJALA) which was launched with an aim to promote efficient use of energy at a residential level and enhance consumer awareness so they can choose efficient equipment and reduce energy bills, thereby helping to conserve the environment. The program promotes the use of LED bulbs as a substitute for incandescent bulbs, tube lights, and CFL bulbs. LED bulbs which are distributed under the UJALA program are available at subsidized rates at special counters set up at designated places in different cities across the country.

In addition to the distribution of LED bulbs under UJALA program, the LED industry has also sold 11.17 million LED bulbs until March 2019, the Minister for New and Renewable Energy and Power R.K. Singh announced in the Lok Sabha.

Answering a question in the Lok Sabha, R.K. Singh said that the government of India supplements the efforts of all the states through its programs like the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana-(SAUBHAGYA), and the Ujjwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY). Singh added that these programs strengthen the distribution network and grid connectivity to achieve 24×7 Power for All and would facilitate uninterrupted power supply to the consumers.  On universal electrification, Singh informed the House that 26 million willing households were electrified across the country up to March 31, 2019 since the launch of SAUBHAGYA program. However, 18,734 households in left-wing extremism affected areas of Chhattisgarh are yet to see their households connected to the grid.

The NDA government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, launched SAUBHAGYA, a program aimed at achieving universal electrification in September 2017. The program missed its December 2018 deadline by a narrow margin, as reported previously by Mercom.

Mercom had also reported earlier on Singh’s announcement of the launch of ‘Energy Efficiency Label for Residential Sector’ program in India. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has developed this label for residential buildings to provide information to consumers about the energy efficiency standard of their homes.

In line with efforts on increasing energy efficiency, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD)  signed a memorandum of understanding for five years, to promote energy efficiency in buildings across the country.

Talking about the expected outcome of the program, Singh said that the program would lead to increased economic activities, jobs opportunities, improvement in children’s education, and improvement in public safety through lighting improvement in health services. The program would ensure the overall better quality of life, especially for women, in daily chores with the substitution of kerosene and associated hardship.

Image credit: Geoffrey.landis at English Wikipedia [CC BY 3.0]