The central government has informed that over 15 lakh LED bulbs has been distributed in the state of Chhattisgarh under the Central government’s ‘Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All’ (UJALA) scheme. The scheme was launched in the state on 13th March this year and within a period of mere two months, this feat has been achieved.
The scheme is being implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of leading PSUs under the administration of Ministry of Power, Government of India.
Under the scheme, consumers can purchase upto ten 9W LED bulbs at an upfront cost of Rs 85 each, against a market price of Rs 300-Rs 350. The central government has been quite bullish about adoption of LEDs in the country and it is implementing and distributing LED lights in many states in different phases. The LED bulbs under UJALA are of superior quality with a total failure rate of just 0.31 percent.
According to Ankit Anand, MD, Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited (CSPDCL), “The LED bulbs provided under this scheme come with a life of over 25,000 hours. UJALA LEDs consume only one-tenth of the energy used by ordinary bulb to provide the same or better light output. Consumers’ electricity bills will reduce by about Rs. 160-400 per year with each LED bulb, thus making the cost recovery lesser than a year.”
By Atanu Kumar Das
