New Delhi [India], December 26 : As India celebrates the success of its electrification efforts, the International Energy Agency (IEA) in its latest comprehensive report praised the government's efforts through initiatives such as Saubhagya and the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana schemes.

"In 2018, India connected almost 100 million people--equivalent to the annual effort required in sub-Saharan Africa to close the gap by 2030--thanks to government initiatives aimed at expanding rural electrification, such as the Saubhagya and the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana schemes," the IEA said in the World Energy Outlook report.

The Saubhagya scheme was launched by the Union government to give the last mile connectivity and electricity connection to all un-electrified households in rural India.

The Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), the Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA), etc. were launched to support states in achieving the objective of providing uninterrupted power supply to all households.

According to the official figures provided by the Power Ministry, the government electrified all the un-electrified villages, strengthened the sub-transmission and distribution network in rural areas under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY).

Projects worth Rs 1.85 lakh crore were executed to strengthen the distribution system across states, which includes works like new/upgradation of substations, new/upgradation of HT & LT lines, agricultural feeder segregation, aerial bunched cable, and underground cabling, etc.

A total of 18,374 villages were electrified under DDUGJY, and 2.86 crore households were electrified under the SAUBHAGYA scheme.
The Government of India is also supporting states under the ongoing, Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) for electrification of the left-out households.

In addition, all identified PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups) households under PM-JANMAN for on-grid electricity connection are also being sanctioned for funding under RDSS as per the scheme guidelines.

The scheme has an outlay of Rs 3,03,758 crore with a gross budgetary support of Rs 97,631 crore from the Government of India over a period of five years from 2021-22 to FY 2025-26.

Projects worth Rs 2.62 lakh crore for distribution infrastructure works and smart metering works have been sanctioned under the scheme.