(LiveMint)
Given its electoral potential, finance minister Arun Jaitley’s budget speech is expected to extol the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana, or the Saubhagya scheme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Rs16,320 crore scheme last year to provide electricity connections to more than 40 million families in rural and urban areas by December 2018, and help achieve universal electricity access. “Saubhagya will be talked about in the budget speech,” said a senior government official requesting anonymity.
The scheme funds the cost of last-mile connectivity to willing households. According to the contours of the scheme, a service cable will be drawn from the nearest electricity pole to the household premise where an electricity meter will be installed along with the wiring for a single light point with an LED bulb and a mobile charging point.
“This is the final push which is required…Till now, the electrification of villages was the main focus. It’s good that Saubhagya has come at the right time and we should merge it nicely with Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) as its extension,” said the official quoted above.
