Energy Efficiency Services Limited ( EESL) , under Ministry of Power, Government of India has launched UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable Lighting for All) Scheme in the State of Melaka, Malaysia today . The Scheme was launched by Chief Minister of Melaka Datuk Seri Utama Ir. Hj. Idris Bin Hj. Haron. In due course of time, the successful Indian model of UJALA scheme has become a sought-after example for the different nations of the world and will now be implemented in Melaka to extend programme benefits to people of the region.

Under this scheme, each household in Melaka will get 10 high quality 9-watt LED bulbs at a cost of only RM 10, which is a special price and is almost half of what in begin offered in the market. The distribution of these LED bulb will take place from 28 numbers of Japerun in the region. These Japerun are a unique community welfare and engagement centers, which are situated across the Melakan State. Under the extensive and ever-expanding idea of UJALA, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) plans to distribute about 1 million 9W LED bulbs, which will replace 18W CFLs. The initiative will have the logistical assistance and facilitation support from Green Growth Asia, which is a not for profit organization. The price of each bulb will be way lesser than global average price of the LED bulbs, which still swings between 3-5 USD. Notably, each bulb that is being provided by EESL under the UJALA scheme in Melaka comes with a 3-year free replacement warranty against any technical defects. These bulbs sent from India will be of leading brands and manufacturers like Osram, Philips along with other companies of repute.

Giving an overview of expectations from the UJALA scheme, Chief Minister of Melaka, Malaysia, Datuk Seri Utama Ir. Hj. Idris Bin Haron, said, “India’s zero-subsidy UJALA programme has paved the way for a brighter future and has now travelled to our country. We will do our bit to seize the learnings of this programme and replicate the same in Malaysian State of Melaka. This will not only benefit the environment, but will also foster new avenues of economic growth in the region.” A reflection of State Government’s aspirations, this inclusive scheme will positively impact the economy of the region. This programme will further improve the quality of life of the people residing in the region. With an aim to reduce the annual household electricity bills by approximately 10.22 million RM every year, households will be able to make significant monetary savings in their electricity bills.

UJALA’s impact in Malaysia will bring about clean energy, contribute to climate change targets and save the already dwindling energy resources. With a fairly large switch to LED bulbs, Melaka will be able to reduce carbon emissions by around 19,000 tonnes per year. An innovative zero-subsidy model, this scheme will help reduce the subsidy burdens of the State Government. The concept of energy efficiency has strongly overcome many bottlenecks and this adoption by a Malaysian State is yet another achievement towards furthering the idea of energy efficiency to conserve the resources, money and environment.

Sh. Rajkumar Rakhra, National Programme Manager of the UJALA scheme at EESL said, “It is a joyous occasion for us all that EESL’s UJALA scheme has taken a new stride. Post the United Kingdom, the latest entrant is the Malaysian market. This unique model promises prosperity and Energy Efficiency Services Limited will extend all possible assistance to Melaka for reaping the benefits alike India. We will showcase our best practices from India to take UJALA scheme forward in the region.”

The UJALA programme has been one of the prime achievements of Government of India in promoting and executing the concept of energy efficiency. A simple act of change of one light bulb to LED at South Block Prime Minister's office in India heralded a movement in the entire country for considering the same change. Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Sh. Narendra Modi on January 5, 2015 had launched the world's largest and most extensive LED distribution programme, UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable Lighting for All). In this initiative, the nodal organisation, EESL, had undertaken the task of setting up phase-wise LED distribution centers across the nation to provide people with affordable LED bulbs and energy efficient appliances. Due to bulk LED bulb procurement by EESL, a healthy competition rose among the manufacturers and this brought down the prices of LED bulbs in India from a range of about Rs. 300 - Rs.400 to about Rs. 70 per bulb. Through this journey, EESL began to majorly transform the market for energy efficient lighting in India in a mere span of only a year.

Currently, over 25-crore LED bulbs have been distributed under the UJALA scheme in India, which are resulting in 33,828 mn kWh of energy savings per year. While about 13,531 crores are being saved in energy bills of consumers per annum, about 2,74,00,887 tonnes of CO2 reduction is taking place per year. Social surveying in India had strongly indicated a public contentment with the scheme and people openly expressed their happiness after witnessing reduction in their electricity bills.

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