What is Saubhagya Scheme?

About Saubhagya Scheme:

• The Government of India launched Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA) in October, 2017
• Objective: Achieving universal household electrification, by providing electricity connections to all un-electrified households in rural areas and all poor households in urban areas in the country.
• Under the Saubhagaya scheme, LED bulbs, wire, holders, switches, etc are to be provided to BPL families free of cost. 
• Salient features of the scheme were:
  • Providing last-mile connectivity and electricity connections to all un-electrified households in rural areas.
  • Providing Solar Photo Voltaic (SPV)-based standalone systems for un-electrified households located in remote and inaccessible villages / habitations where grid extension is not feasible or cost effective.
  • Providing last mile connectivity and electricity connections to all remaining economically poor un-electrified households in urban areas. Non-poor urban households are excluded from this scheme.
• In the rural areas, families other than BPL families electricity connection has to be provided for Rs. 500. The consumer has to pay the amount in 10 equal installments of Rs. 50 in each bill, in the urban areas, the BPL families will be provided free power connection.
• It is a provision that families of rural areas, which are not possible to issue electrical assembliesthrough grid supply, have to be published through solar energy.
• Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) has been designated as its nodal agency for the Saubhagya scheme.
• The beneficiaries for free electricity connections will be identified using Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data.

Q1: What is Rural Electrification Corporation (REC)?

Rural Electrification Corp is a state owned company under the Ministry of Power. Its purpose is to finance the development of power generation and distribution across India. In particular, it focuses on rural communities in India, where millions of people live without reliable electricity supplies.

Source: Suabhagya scheme: Ex-Meghalaya energy officials issued notice over irregularities

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