The poor don’t just need promises and assurances, they need government backed assistance to improve their standard of life. Just like there are BPL ration cards for subsidised foodgrains and Ujjwala Yojana for super-subsidised LPG connections, the poor need affordable electricity too.

In a welcome move, Chief Secretary BB Vyas yesterday, chaired a video conference with DCs of the state to review implementation of the Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yogaja (Saubhagya) to achieve 100% household electrification in Jammu & Kashmir by March 31, 2019. Here is more info about Saubhagya:

The scheme Saubhagya intends to provide electricity to all unelectrified households of the State, with poor households to be provided electricity connections free of cost.

The beneficiaries of the scheme would be identified using the Socio Economic and  Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data.

Electricity connections to other unelectrified households would be provided electricity connections on payment of only Rs 500 which will be recovered in 10 installments through electricity bills.

And remote villages, which still lack grids have not been laid, Solar Photo Voltaic based stand alone systems will be provided.

It is pertinent to mention that our state has achieved 97.4% electrification from a mere 80.6% in year 2001.