Over 15 lakh lED bulbs have been distributed in Chhattisgarh under Central government’s ‘Unnat Jyoti by Affordable lEDs for All’ (UJAlA) scheme.
The UJAlA scheme was launched in Chhattisgarh on March 13, 2016 and the milestone has been achieved within two months of the start, officials informed.
The scheme is being implemented by Energy Efficiency Services limited (EESl), a joint venture of leading PSUs under the administration of Ministry of Power, Government of India.
Chhattisgarh, is the only state in India which is distributing 3 energy efficient lED bulbs free of cost to BPl consumers. The target under UJAlA in Chhattisgarh is to distribute over 2 crore lED bulbs.
Under the scheme, consumers can purchase upto ten 9W lED bulbs at an upfront cost of Rs 85 each, against a market price of Rs 300-Rs 350.
Consumers have an option of paying the amount upfront or choosing an EMI option where they would have to just pay Rs 10 per lED bulb as an upfront cost and the balance amount of Rs 80 will be added to their electricity bill over a period of seven months. Under the UJAlA scheme the BPl consumers can also avail up to 5 lED bulbs with an upfront payment of Rs 85 each.
Vedprakash Dindore, Regional Manager for EESl, Chhattisgarh said,“The response from the people of Chhattisgarh has been overwhelming and we are currently implementing the scheme in 9 circles and will soon cover the entire state. We thank the consumers for coming in such high numbers and urge more consumers to come and join the revolution.”
The lED bulbs under UJAlA are of superior quality with a total failure rate of just 0.31 percent.
Ankit Anand, MD, Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company limited (CSPDCl) said, “We are working closely with EESl to execute the UJAlA scheme in Chhattisgarh."
The scheme will play a key role in large energy savings in the State by use of energy efficient lEDs. We are very positive that there will be more participation from the consumers as it will help them in reducing their electricity bills, he said.
The lED bulbs provided under this scheme come with a life of over 25,000 hours. UJAlA lEDs consume only one-tenth of the energy used by ordinary bulb to provide the same or better light output. Consumers' electricity bills will reduce by about Rs. 160-400 per year with each lED bulb, thus making the cost recovery lesser than a year. lED bulbs also provide consistent brightness even in low voltage when compared to the traditional lamps which either fade off or fluctuate, Anand said.