The Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) government is planning to distribute 10 lakh LED bulbs to households in rural areas at a highly subsidised rate of ₹10 per bulb under the Gram Ujala programme from December 14 to February 15, 2022 with the support of Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Limited, on the occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
In a communication to Energy Secretary N. Srikant, CESL MD & CEO Mahua Acharya stated that the distribution of bulbs shall begin on December 14, which is National Energy Conservation Day. She said the LED bulbs would bring down the burden of electricity bills to some extent on the rural households and help in reducing the peak power demand substantially.
Mr. Acharya said A.P. was one of the five States chosen for the implementation of the Gram Ujala programme, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Gujarat being the others.
The entire expenditure on the distribution of 10 lakh LED bulbs would be borne by CESL. Consumers have to pay ₹10 per bulb. The balance cost will be met by DISCOMs through the sale of carbon credits. The CESL MD requested DISCOMs to provide the database of domestic consumers in order to maximise the LED bulb distribution programme.
Meanwhile, informing Energy Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy about the Gram Ujala programme, Mr. Srikant said the LED bulbs offered under the initiative are energy-efficient as they consume 88% less energy compared to incandescent bulbs. Also, the LED bulbs last about 25 times longer. He instructed the DISCOMs to provide necessary support to CESL in coordination with the A.P. State Energy Conservation Mission for distributing the bulbs.
