Government of India launched Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) in December, 2014 for strengthening the electricity distribution system. The work included setting up new substation, separation of agriculture and non-agriculture feeders; augmentation of old substation adding 850000 ckt. of HT&LT lines; adding transformers and electrification of villages across the country. For villages where grid connectivity was neither feasible nor cost effective, the electrification was done through off grid modes.  As reported by the States, all the inhabited un-electrified villages across the country, as per Census 2011, were electrified by 28^th April, 2018. The erstwhile Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) was subsumed under DDUGJY.

Under DDUGJY and thereafter under Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (Saubhagya), all the States declared electrification of all Villages on 28^th April, 2018 and all willing Households on 31^st March, 2019 respectively. While, a total of 18374 villages were electrified under DDUGJY, a total of 2.86 crore households were electrified under the aegis of Saubhagya, including additional households in two tranches that became willing after 31.03.2019 but were unwilling for electrification earlier.

While fresh arisings 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).  The States have been advised to pose their DPRs to the Ministry of Power under the RDSS.

 

This information was given by Shri R.K Singh, Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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SS/IG

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