UJALA completes 7 years of energy-efficient and affordable LED distribution, saves 47,778 Million kWh energy per annum

5 Jan 2022 , 04:11 PM

Ministry of Power has completed seven years of distributing and selling LED lights under its flagship UJALA programme. In a short span, the programme has evolved to be world’s largest zero subsidy domestic lighting programme that addresses concerns like high electrification cost and high emissions that result from inefficient lighting.

The Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India on January 5, 2015.

As of today, more than 36.78 crore LEDs have been distributed across the country. 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 significant reduction in transaction cost and time, enhancing process efficiency.

With UJALA, the cost of LED bulb has come by 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 which resulted in well-known benefits  and now knows as USP of Program Ujala.