LED bulbs at Rs 20 in Kashmir as Ujala scheme launched

LED bulbs will now be available in Jammu and Kashmir at a subsidised rate Rs 20 as against the market price of more than Rs 250 with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today formally launching the Ujala scheme which aims at saving 28.27 lakh units of electricity daily.
The centrally-sponsored Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) is a scheme for registered domestic electricity consumers and will be implemented by Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Department in the state in collaboration with Union Power Ministry and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of leading PSUs.
The state government aims to distribute over 80 lakh bulbs to over 16 lakh households in the state. With the distribution of these LED bulbs the state will have energy savings of 28.27 lakh units per day, an official statement said.

The LED bulbs can be purchased from nearest Khidmat or CSC centres and will come with a replacement warranty for all technical faults for three years. The replacements can be done through any of the distribution counters.
The state government has announced that people can buy five LED bulbs of 9W at a subsidised rate of Rs 20 each as against the market price of Rs 250 to Rs 300. The consumers will have to produce their photo-identity card and latest electricity bill.
But this price is applicable only for the purchase of five LED bulbs. If people purchase more, they will have to pay Rs 95 per bulb.

Addressing a press conference, Commissioner Secretary, State Power Development Department and Managing Director, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) Saurabh Kumar said consumers under the scheme would be able to buy high quality LED bulbs at a discounted rate of Rs 20 each.

"The government of Jammu and Kashmir is providing subsidy for the scheme. We will try to reach out though length and breadth of the state under this scheme. Our focus is that the registered consumers should be benefitted," he said and added that these energy efficiency lamps will also come handy for the commercial establishments of the state.

He said the UJALA scheme was launched by the Prime Minister in January 2015 with a target of replacing 77 crore incandescent bulbs with energy efficient LED bulbs.
"Currently, over 15.43 crore LED bulbs have already been distributed across 18 states. This is leading to a daily energy savings of 5.49 crore kWh and resulting in avoidance of 4,013 MW of peak demand. Through the scheme the estimated cumulative cost reduction of bills of consumers, per day is Rs 21.96 crore," he said.