AP DISCOMs to distribute 10 lakh LED bulbs to rural households… with the support of CESL, a subsidiary of EESL, GoI

-CESL will supply the LED bulbs to the State on the occasion of Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav
-LED bulbs to be distributed at subsidized rate @ Rs. 10 per bulb under Gram Ujala Program between December 14, 2021 and February 15, 2022
-Andhra Pradesh is one among the five States in country that were selected to implement the Gram Ujala Program, says CESL MD
-Enhancing awareness on energy efficiency, provide high quality lighting along with energy savings in households is the objective
-LED bulbs will help to lessen the electricity bills to some extent on the rural households, improve quality of life
-Gram Ujala is an innovative project that achieves social objectives, income savings, climate change benefits arising from energy efficiency
-LEDs are energy efficient, high quality and long lasting, consuming 88 per cent less energy when compared to incandescent bulbs
-AP energy secretary Srikant Nagulapalli instructed DISCOMs to provide necessary support to CESL in co-ordination with APSECM and make arrangements for distribution of 10 lakh LED bulbs

Vijayawada, Neti Patrika Prajavartha :
As part of efforts to enhance awareness among the people of rural areas on energy efficiency and energy conservation and provide high quality lighting along with energy savings in households, the State government is going to distribute 10 lakh LED bulbs to the households in rural areas at highly subsidized rate @ Rs. 10 per LED bulb under Gram Ujala Program between 14th December 2021 and 15th February 2022 with the support of CESL.

The Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a subsidiary company of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), will supply the LED bulbs to the State on the occasion of Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav.

In a communication to Secretary for Energy, Srikant Nagulapalli, the Managing Director & CEO, CESL, Mahua Acharya appraised that the CESL was keen to distribute around 10 Lakh LED bulbs in Andhra Pradesh on the occasion of Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav on National Energy Conservation Day (14^th December-2021). The programme will continue up to February 2022.

She said the implementation of Gram Ujala Program through distribution of LED bulbs in rural areas of AP will help lessen the burden of electricity bills to some extent on the rural households and helps to reduce peak power demand substantially for AP power utilities.

CESL MD briefed the Secretary that Andhra Pradesh is one among the five States apart from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Gujarat that were selected to implement the Gram Ujala Program.

She told secretary that entire expenditure for the distribution of 10 lakh LEDs will be borne by CESL and there would not be any financial burden on the AP Power Utilities or State Govt.  The Consumer will have to pay Rs. 10/- per LED and rest of the cost is met by the carbon financing (sale of carbon credits on account of energy savings).

“The objective of the scheme is that the rural people who are unable to afford high quality lighting can get benefitted from Gram Ujala which is an innovative project that achieves social objectives, income savings as well as climate change benefits arising from energy efficiency”, she said. She also sought assistance of DISCOMs to provide rural domestic consumer database, to maximize the LED bulb distribution count at various areas/districts, Single point of Contact (SPOC) etc.

While thanking CESL for their energy efficiency initiative to rural people of the State, the secretary energy said the Chief Minister Y S JaganMohan Reddy has been emphasizing the need for providing 24×7 quality and cost effective power for which this Gram Ujala project will have a good impact on the States Objective. As per the directions of the chief minister, the power utilities have been providing 24X7 quality power supply in the State even in  remote areas of rural areas, he said.

The AP energy secretary informed Energy Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy about the Gram Ujala project and explained that the LEDs offered under this initiative are energy efficient, high quality and long lasting, consuming 88 per cent less energy when compared to incandescent bulbs. The LED is a highly energy efficient lighting technology and last 25 times longer than incandescent lighting in general. The LEDs emit very less heat comparing with incandescent bulbs and CFLs which releases 90 per cent and 80 per cent of their energy as heat respectively.

He said the energy saving garnered through switching to energy efficient bulbs will also lead to reduction in a household’s energy cost, which will bolster the households disposable income and life time savings thus improving their quality of life.

The secretary instructed DISCOMs to provide necessary support to CESL in co-ordination with APSECM and make arrangements for distribution of 10 lakh LED bulbs that would be distributed from 14^th December-2021 to 15^th February-2022 as desired by CESL. He directed CMDs of DISCOMs H Haranatha Rao, J Padma Janardhana Reddy and K Santhosha Rao to instruct superintending engineers/ operation to assist CESL in increasing the distribution count across all districts and provide list of rural domestic consumers, list of Single point of Contact (SPOC) in each division/subdivision immediately for communicating and extending support in attaining the success of the program.