Saubhagya, a new scheme or deadline pushed back, some ask on Twitter

The launch of a scheme for total electrification by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday evoked some caustic comments on Twitter with some stating that the government had pushed its own target further by a year.

The tweets were about the Saubhagya scheme aimed at providing power to all un-electrified households by March 31, 2019.

"To celebrate the anniversary of 'Electricity for all by May 2017', the Indian government launches 'Electricity for all by March 2019' scheme," said a sarcasm-laden tweet.

"Electricity for all was promised by May 2017: guess timelines change as elections approach!" said another.

The two tweets were accompanied by a news report of October 8, 2016 captioned "Piyush Goyal assures electricity for all by 2017".

The report had quoted the then Power Minister Piyush Goyal as stating that India would have 100 per cent electrification by May 2017.

"I am confident that 100 per cent electrification in rural, Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) districts and dense forests would be achieved by May 1, 2017, a year ahead of the schedule Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set," Goyal had told reporters on the margins of a two-day conference of Power Ministers at Vadodra.

There were also comments about the government's intention to provide electricity to all by 2019 but housing for all only by 2022.

Another tweet stated that the deadline announced on Monday had put paid to speculation about early Lok Sabha polls.

"Deadline for #Saubhagya is 31st March 2019, just in time for 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Does that put an end to speculation of early elections," it said.

There were also tweets, including by several union ministers, welcoming the launch of the Saubhagya scheme.

Modi had on Monday launched the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana or Saubhagya aimed at providing power to all homes by March 2019.

The scheme provides incentive to states. Those who complete electrification of all households by December 1, 2018 would have 50 per cent of their loan converted into grant.

--IANS

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