With energy focus reaping benefits for the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh elections earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today unveiled a new flagship programme of 'Saubhagya - Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana' to energise last mile power delivery.
The Rs 16,320-crore scheme aims at providing 'last mile electricity connectivity to all rural and urban households'. The announcement, made at the headquarters of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, will reinforce the ruling party's electricity-for-all target, which was recently advanced from 2019 to 2018.
The Union government would provide 60% funds for the programme amounting to Rs 12,320 crore. For special category states, the Centre’s contribution would be 85%. State governments and their utilities would provide 10% funds. In the case of special category states, it would be 5%. The remaining 30% expenditure would be met through loans.
The target is to complete electrification by March 2019, two months ahead of next general elections. States that reach the target by December 2018 would get additional funds. Of Rs 16,320-crore, rural areas would get Rs 12,320 crore while urban areas would get Rs 2,295 crore.
The announcement would be made on the occasion of the birth centenary celebration of Bharatiya Jana Sangh politician and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. The ONGC building has been named after him.
Modi today inaugurated Deendayal Urja Bhawan - ONGC's new corporate office in Delhi along with Booster Compressor Facility at ONGC’s Bassein gas field-western offshore, Mumbai High and the company’s paperless office project (DISHA) in Gujarat.
The Prime Minister had in 2015 said that the government has set a 1,000-day target to electrify over 18,000 villages that don't have access to electricity at all.
A year later in his Independence Day speech, Modi said, "I can say that not even the half of the 1,000 days have passed, we are far away from the half-way mark, and yet 10,000 villages out of 18,000 have received electricity."