UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched the ‘Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana’ (Saubhagya) from Unnao district on Sunday. The power distribution scheme aims to provide electricity connection to all the poor households in the State by the end of March December 2018. On the day of launch of the scheme one lakh electricity connection were provided to the poor families across the State on Sunday. The beneficiaries of the scheme would be selected from among those covered by the SECC (Socio economic caste census) conducted in 2011.
“The BJP Government had ended the long practice of discrimination in providing power connection and power supply to the consumers across the state. The people across the State are now easily getting the power connection and there is also no discrimination in the quantum of power supply to any region or district of the state’’, said Yogi Adityanath while addressing the meeting at Bighapur in Unnao district. The Union Minister of State for power RK Singh was also present on the occasion.
Chief Minister said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the scheme for the uplift of the poor and the down trodden sections of the society. Under ‘Saubhagya’ scheme, UP Government has set the target of providing electricity connection to 1.54 crore household across the State. In urban areas 3.02 lakh households will be covered by the scheme. Under Saubhagya scheme the SECC families will get free electricity connection while the other categories of poor families not covered by the SECC norm will get the connection by Rs 500 in five monthly installments.
The Saubhagya scheme was simultaneously launched at 2,300 power distribution sub stations across the state on Sunday and One lakh connections were given on the first day of the launch of the scheme. The letters for power connections were distributed by the deputy Chief Ministers, Ministers and the BJP MlAs. In lucknow the deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma distributed the letters for power connection in Pyrepur village of the district.
All the electricity connections under ‘Saubhagya’ scheme will be metered connections and the beneficiaries will have to produce Aadhar card, voter ID card, driving license or the bank account. The power connection will be given after the verification of the personal information.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 25 had launched a Rs 16,320-crore scheme Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana ‘Saubhagya’ — to provide electricity connections to over 4 crore families in rural and urban areas by December 2018 across the country. The schemes aim to bring monumental change in the lives of the poor. Under the scheme, the Government proposes to provide electricity to all households in the country by the end of March, 2019.
The outlay for the rural households is Rs 14,025 crore and for the urban households the outlay is Rs 2,295 crore. The Centre will provide largely funds for the scheme to all States/UTs. The beneficiaries for free electricity connections would be identified using Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data.
As per the scheme the unelectrified households not covered under the SECC data would also be provided electricity connections under the scheme on payment of Rs 500 which shall be recovered by Power distribution companies (DISCOMs) in 10 installments through electricity bill. The Rural Electrification Corporation limited (REC) will remain the nodal agency for the operationalisation of the scheme throughout the country.