Rural electrification in full swing, connecting 7 lakh homes a week

Rural electrification is galloping ahead with power lines connecting about 7 lakh homes every week as authorities are working overtime to ensure that every household that wants electricity should be linked to the grid by December 31.

The rapid growth is generating demand for electricity, which is good news for power plants because many are running below optimum capacity. It is also expected to significantly improve the quality of life in underdeveloped regions, apart from stimulating demand for bulbs and appliances.

Of the 3.56 crore households that were not connected, 2.1 crore have been electrified. Experts said, within a year, the newly connected households will contribute significantly to power consumption because of pent-up demand in many regions and fresh rural demand.


“Electricity consumption growth has been robust in the last few months, also aided by growth in household electrification and reduction in power cuts,” Feedback Infra founder chairman Vinayak Chatterjee said. This would require fresh investment in power generation to meet future demand.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently said India’s move to energise every village in the country with electricity was one of the greatest success stories in the world this year. IEA, the global energy watchdog for the developed world, said such initiatives improve productivity that enhances economic well-being. It can also spur innovation which can boost micro-businesses, agricultural yields and help people get access to schools, banks and medical services, experts in the IEA said.

Power minister RK Singh said 15 states have completed electrification while another eight are close to achieving complete household electrification. States like Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are left with small number of un-electrified households and expected to achieve saturation any time, he had said last Thursday, exuding confidence that the government will achieve the complete household electrification targets by December 31.

Peak power demand of the country crossed 180 GW in October for the first time.

Data available on the power ministry’s Saubhagya dashboard showed that Uttar Pradesh has the maximum 56 lakh of the total 84 lakh un-electrified households. Rajasthan, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Assam and Meghalaya are some of the states that have un-elecrified households.

Association of Power Producers director general Ashok Khurana said the country needs to commercialise coal production to help deliver the required electricity in the next three to four years.