Guwahati: At least 36.78 crore LEDs were distributed under the Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) scheme in Seven years. UJALA was launched by the Prime Minister of India on January 5, 2015.
In a short span, the programme has evolved to be the world’s largest zero-subsidy domestic lighting programme that addresses concerns like high electrification costs and high emissions that result from inefficient lighting.
As of today, more than 36.78 crore LEDs have been distributed across the country. The success of the programme – which has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of people – lies in its inimitable strategic approach to energy efficiency.
UJALA succeeded in bringing down the retail price of LED bulbs from INR 300-350 per bulb to INR 70-80 per bulb. Apart from making affordable energy accessible to all, the programme also resulted in massive energy savings. As of today, 47,778 million kWh per annum energy has been saved. 9,565 MW of peak demand has been avoided, along with 3,86 crore tonnes of reduction in CO2 emissions.
UJALA has been readily adopted by all the states. It has helped in reducing annual household electricity bills. Consumers have been able to save money, improve their quality of life, and contribute to India’s economic growth and prosperity.
Under the programme, the government has ensured transparency and encouraged competition by e-procurement of goods and services. This has resulted in a significant reduction in transaction cost and time, enhancing process efficiency.
With UJALA, the cost of LED bulbs has come down by 85 percent. This, in turn, has led to a much larger pool of bidders, enhanced quality of the product, and availability of better specifications for the consumers. Leveraging increased industry competition and mass procurement, EESL has adopted an innovative procurement strategy that resulted in well-known benefits and now known as USP of Program UJALA.