Lok Sabha Question No. 1618 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-11
Subject: Electrification of Villages by Solar Energy
Ministry: NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY
Asked by: Ranjeetsingh Naik Nimbalkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-1618

ANSWERED ON-11.02.2021

## ELECTRIFICATION OF VILLAGES BY SOLAR ENERGY

- +1618. SHRI RANJEETSINGH HINDURAO NAIK NIMBALKAR

Will the Minister of NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether any scheme to provide electricity through solar energy is operational to promote electrification of villages in rural areas of the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether electricity connections have also been provided in the State of Maharashtra during the last three years and the current year under the said scheme;
- (d) if so, the names of the districts in which along with the names of the companies through which these solar systems have been installed and the number of those where such systems are yet to be installed, district and year-wise;
- (e) whether the Government proposes to increase the number of connections under solar energy electrification scheme in the remaining unelectrified villages of Maharashtra; and (f) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE (I/C) FOR NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY, POWER and MoS for  SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

(SHRI R.K. SINGH)

- (a)  &  (b)  In  October  2017,  Government  of  India  through  Ministry  of  Power  launched 'Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana' - Saubhagya to achieve universal household electrification across the country. The scheme envisaged last mile connectivity and electricity connections  to  all  remaining  un-electrified  households  in  rural  and  all  poor  households  in urban  areas.  'Saubhagya'  scheme  included  provision  of  solar  based  standalone  systems  to provide electricity to un-electrified households in remote & inaccessible villages/habitations, where grid extension was neither feasible nor cost effective.
- The  Ministry  of  New  and  Renewable  Energy  was  earlier  implementing  Remote  Village Electrification Programme  for electrification of remote villages/habitations, including through solar energy, which was discontinued from 2012-13.
- (c) & (d) Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA) has reported that 30,538 offgrid  Solar  Home  Light  Systems  (SHLs)  were  installed  in  Maharashtra  under  Saubhagya Scheme during 2017-18 & 2018-19 (up to Dec 2019). The off-grid works under the scheme were completed in December, 2019. The District wise number of Solar Home Light Systems (SHLs) installed is given at Annexure .
- (e) & (f) As reported by the State of Maharashtra all the willing un-electrified households in the State stand electrified as on 31.03.2020.

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## Annexure

## District wise number of Solar Home Light System installed under Saubhagya Scheme in the State of Maharashtra

| Sr. no.   | District   |   Number of Solar Home Light Systems |
|-----------|------------|--------------------------------------|
| 1.        | Amravati   |                                 3721 |
| 2.        | Buldhana   |                                  550 |
| 3.        | Dhule      |                                 1065 |
| 4.        | Gadchiroli |                                  855 |
| 5.        | Gondia     |                                   10 |
| 6.        | Jalgaon    |                                  707 |
| 7.        | Nandurbar  |                                22633 |
| 8.        | Palghar    |                                  202 |
| 9.        | Pune       |                                  418 |
| 10.       | Raigad     |                                  175 |
| 11.       | Ratnagiri  |                                    3 |
| 12.       | Sindhudurg |                                   67 |
| 13.       | Thane      |                                   77 |
| 14.       | Yavatmal   |                                   55 |
|           | Total      |                                30538 |