Recently, the Union Minister of State (I/C) for Power & New and Renewable Energy, R. K. Singh has launched the GRAM UJALA programme at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. This scheme has been designed specifically for rural homes keeping their affordability in mind and it will save a good amount of energy as a 12 Watt LED bulb gives equivalent light as of 100 watt incandescent bulb.
Under this programme, Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), will distribute high quality LED bulbs, at an affordable cost of Rs 10 per bulb in rural areas of Varanasi. The launch programme was also attended by Alok Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Power and other dignitaries.
Under phase 1 of GRAM UJALA programme 1 crore 50 lakh LED bulbs will be distributed, which will have a significant impact on India’s climate change action energy savings of 2025 million kWh/year and CO2 reductions of 1.65 million T CO2/year. The programme will enable better illumination, at an affordable price of Rs 10/bulb. This will usher in a better standard of life, financial savings, more economic activity, and better safety for rural citizens.
In the occasion, Singh congratulated CESL for its new initiative of providing affordable and high-quality LEDs to the rural population. He also appreciated Uttar Pradesh government for electrification of every village in the state in nearly four years after signing the ‘Power for All’ agreement with the central government.
