Supplementing the grid with solar to make 'Power for All' a reality in rural India

The Union government launched the Saubhagya scheme in September 2017 to connect 40 million unelectrified households by March 2019. While the date is ambitious as such large-scale implementation will also face a number of challenges, Saubhagya should be credited with tackling many of the shortcomings of previous electrification programmes. The scheme has made provision for micro-lending for above poverty line households to meet connection costs, use of distributed solar for grid-inaccessible households, and expanding the scope of subsidy to cover wider beneficiary groups. The next step to complete household electrification is providing 24x7 power supply to all connected households in the most reliable and affordable manner.