72.9 lakh LED bulbs distributed in C'garh in one year

Nearly 73 lakh LED bulbs have been distributed to people in Chhattisgarh under a government scheme in the last one year.
"So far, 72.90 lakh LED bulbs have been distributed to power consumers since the 'Rashtriya Ujala Yojna' was launched in March last year in Chhattisgarh," an official from the state energy department said today.
He claimed that the LED bulb distribution is receiving a good response in the state thereby helping in reducing power consumption.
A saving of 190 MW of power during the peak demand for electricity has been recorded every day due to the use of LED bulbs, he said.

The state is saving Rs 379 crore per year because of less power being consumed on account of the use of LED bulbs by consumers, the official said.
Under the scheme, the government has set a target of distributing LED bulbs to all households below poverty line (BPL) in the state by October 2, the birth anniversary Mahatma Gandhi, this year, he said.

All urban bodies in the state will have LED street lights by December this year, he said.
Presently, the work to replace the street bulbs with LED lights is underway in Bilaspur, Rajnandgaon, Korba and Dhamtari cities and very soon it will be started in the state capital Raipur and also in Bhilai, the official said.

A Central Control and Monitoring System is also being set up in all these cities for the supervision of LED lights, he said.
The official said that special camps will be held for the distribution of LED bulbs to people in urban areas.
The state government has been distributing three LED bulbs free of cost to those who fall under the BPL category.
Besides, the households which are above poverty line can buy at least 10 LED bulbs at an affordable cost of Rs 65 each.