Odisha has earned the distinction of being the biggest beneficiary with respect to distribution of LED bulbs under the Centrally-sponsored UJALA scheme.
According to information recently tabled in Parliament, the total number of LED bulbs distributed under UJALA, since its launch till around March 16, 2022, stood at 36.79 crore. Of this total, Odisha accounted for 14.2 per cent – the highest share by any state.
UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LED for All) was launched on January 5, 2015 to provide energy-efficient LED lights to consumers, at an affordable price. This programme is spearheaded by Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL).
Odisha – with 5.23 crore LED installations and a national share of 14.2 per cent – was followed by Gujarat with 4.14 LED bulbs distributed, accounting for an all-India share of 11.3 per cent. The high penetration of UJALA LED bulbs in Odisha also reflects the widespread village and household electrification works in the state, under the DDUJGY and Saubhagya schemes.
Other states that have benefited significantly under UJALA include Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. These states took up 7.1 per cent, 6.6 per cent and 6.0 per cent, of the total cumulative installations in India. (See table)
These five states put together were home to nearly 40 per cent of the cumulative LED bulb installations during the period January 5, 2015 to around March 16, 2022.
The 36.79 crore LED bulbs installed under UJAL so far has resulted in total energy savings of 47784 million kwh of electricity per year, a reduction of 9,566 mw in peak demand, and the forestalling of 38.70 million tonnes of CO2 emission per year.
UJALA has also had a positive bearing on prices of LED bulbs. The government has estimated at LED bulb prices that ruled at around Rs.300-350 per bulb in the year 2014 fell to Rs.70-80 per bulb, in just three years of the launch of UJALA.
By aggregating requirements across the country, UJALA could provide economies of scale to manufacturers. This resulted in reduction in prices not just for UJALA consumers but for the retail segment as well. It is also estimated that LED bulbs have over the years become more energy efficient now offering 100 lumen per watt as against 85 lumen per watt earlier.
Read also: GRAM UJALA Launched In Varanasi, 1.5 Crore LED Bulbs Targeted In First Phase
UJALA over the years
The UJALA programme was at its peak in the initial four years or so, of its launch. Distribution of LED bulbs under the scheme has been petering off over the recent years. This is simply because much of the market was covered in the initial years itself, and there is widespread deployment of LED bulbs even through non-UJALA channels.
In FY20, a total of 1.19 crore LED bulbs were distributed under UJALA. This fell to 0.43 crore in FY21 and further to 0.08 crore in FY22 (up to around March 16, 2022).
Roughly, the first four years of the UJALA scheme have seen distribution of 31.01 crore LED bulbs and the past three years, 5.78 crore. Hence, around 84 per cent of the total LED bulbs distributed so far have been in the first four years of the launch of UJALA.
Featured photograph source: EESL
