Lok Sabha Question No. 2866 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-05
Subject: Electricity Connection to Every Poor Household
Ministry: POWER
Asked by: Thomas Chazhikadan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF POWER

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2866 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.12.2019

## ELECTRICITY CONNECTION TO EVERY POOR HOUSEHOLD

2866.  SHRI THOMAS CHAZHIKADAN:

Will the Minister of POWER

be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Union  Government has prepared any scheme  with the State Governments to provide electricity connection to every poor household in the country and if so, the details thereof;

- (b) the details of such connections provided so far, State-wise;

(c) whether there is any plan to route subsidies in power sector through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and if so, the details thereof; and

- (d) the steps taken to streamline the subsidies in power sector?

## A N S W E R

THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  (INDEPENDENT  CHARGE)  FOR  POWER,  NEW  &  RENEWABLE ENERGY AND THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

( SHRI  R.K. SINGH)

(a) & (b) : Yes, Sir.  Government of India launched Pradhan  Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana-  Saubhagya  in  October,  2017  to  achieve  universal  household  electrification  by providing  last mile connectivity and electricity connections to all households in rural and all poor households in urban areas across the country.  As informed by the States, 2.628 crore households were electrified up to 31.03.2019 across the country, since launch of the scheme on 11.10.2017. State-wise detail is given at Annexure.

(c) & (d) : The subsidies to specified category of consumers are provided by the State Governments.    The  Electricity  Act,  2003  provides  in  Section  65  that  if  the  State Government proposes to grant subsidy to any class of consumers it shall make available funds for this in advance to the concerned distribution company.   The State Governments have been advised that it they propose to give subsidies they should give it through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).  The tariff policy also mandates that direct subsidy is a better way to subsidize poorer consumer rather than cross subsidy (Clause 8.3 Tariff Policy 2016).

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ANNEXURE ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) & (b) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION

NO. 2866 TO BE ANSWERED IN THE LOK SABHA ON 05.12.2019. ***************

State-wise electrification of households as per Saubhagya portal during the period from 11.10.2017 to 31.03.2019.

| Sl. No.            | Name of the States   | Number of households electrified   |
|--------------------|----------------------|------------------------------------|
| 1                  | Andhra Pradesh       | 1,81,930                           |
| 2                  | Arunachal Pradesh    | 47,089                             |
| 3 Assam            |                      | 17,45,149                          |
| 4 Bihar            |                      | 32,59,041                          |
| 5 Chhattisgarh     | 7,49,397             |                                    |
| 6 Gujarat          | 41,317               |                                    |
| 7 Haryana          |                      | 54,681                             |
| 8 Himachal Pradesh | 12,891               |                                    |
| 9 Jammu & Kashmir  | 3,87,501             |                                    |
| 10 Jharkhand       |                      | 15,30,708                          |
| 11 Karnataka       |                      | 3,56,974                           |
| 12                 | Madhya Pradesh       | 19,84,264                          |
| 13 Maharashtra     |                      | 15,17,922                          |
| 14 Manipur         |                      | 1,02,748                           |
| 15 Meghalaya       |                      | 1,99,839                           |
| 16 Mizoram         |                      | 27,970                             |
| 17                 | Nagaland             | 1,32,507                           |
| 18                 | Odisha               | 24,52,444                          |
| 19 Puducherry      |                      | 912                                |
| 20 Punjab          |                      | 3,477                              |
| 21                 | Rajasthan            | 18,62,736                          |
| 22 Sikkim          |                      | 14,900                             |
| 23 Tamil Nadu      |                      | 2,170                              |
| 24 Telangana       |                      | 5,15,084                           |
| 25 Tripura         | 1,39,090             |                                    |
| 26 Uttar Pradesh   |                      | 79,80,568                          |
| 27                 | Uttarakhand          | 2,48,751                           |
| 28 West Bengal     |                      | 7,32,290                           |
| Total              | 2,62,84,350          |                                    |

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