NEW DELHI: More than 80 per cent rural homes in the country -- and not the 10 per cent necessary to declare a village electrified -- have electricity, the government said on Monday. The "clarification" from the power ministry came this evening after a barrage of criticism over Sunday's announcement that electricity has reached every village in the country.
Much of the criticism is based on the boxes that need to be checked to declare a village electrified: basic electrical infrastructure, electricity in only 10 per cent households and public places - like schools and health centres. Critics pointed out that under such circumstances, electrification remains a mere tag, with millions of people getting left in the darkness.
The electrification rule, the government on Monday said, was "legacy" issue and did not reflect the ground situation.
"As per recent reports from the states, household electrification level in rural areas is more than 82 per cent, ranging from 47 to 100 per cent across various states," the communique from the power ministry said.
The government said the reason some states fewer homes had power depended on a number of issues - including location, topography, size, resources and "also because of varying efforts made by the States for household electrification".
To resolve this situation, a new programme, the "Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana" - Saubhagya, has been started, the government said. This scheme, launched last year, will also help provide last mile connectivity to village homes.
The plan to bring electricity to every village within 1000 days was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015. Boosted by the results, the government has forwarded the plan to take electricity to every home by December 31 this year. The initial deadline was March next year.
Critics have pointed out that the real test will be whether the government can ensure supply of power to all these houses. It has also been said that continuous and abundant power supply, boosts economic activity and not simple connectivity.
Power minister RK Singh has said that he is "confident" that the government will be able to ensure supply.