In order to uplift the lighting scenario in the state of Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched the ‘Ama Ghare LED’ scheme, under which about 95 lakh families in the state will each get four LED bulbs free of cost.
Around 3.8 crore LED bulbs are required by Odisha for the same. The unavailability of quality LED bulbs in the interior parts of the state forces consumers to buy incandescent and CFL bulbs for which they end up paying higher electricity bills.
According to Chief Minister Patnaik the LED bulbs (9-watt each) will be distributed to the beneficiaries registered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and the State Food Security Scheme (SFSC).
As per Energy Secretary Hemant Sharma, in rural areas increased use of incandescent and CFL bulbs can be seen which is not at all cost-effective and energy saving. The implementation of this scheme will further reduce energy consumption.
Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (OPTCL) will be implementing the scheme and the bulbs will be distributed through People’s empowerment-enabling transparency and accountability of Odisha initiative (PEETHA) camps and PDS outlets across the state. In order to avail the benefits of the scheme people will have to produce their biometric authentication.
