Miscellaneous Schemes under Ministry of Power

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY)

• Purpose: Strengthening rural electricity distribution.
• Implementing Agency: Rural Electrification Corporation (REC).
• Key Features:
  • Setting up new substations.
  • Separation of agriculture and non-agriculture feeders.
  • Augmentation of existing substations.
  • Off-grid electrification for remote villages where grid extension was not feasible.

👉 Significance: Aimed at reducing rural-urban disparity in electricity access.

Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA)

• World’s largest zero-subsidy domestic lighting programme.
• Implemented by EESL (Energy Efficiency Services Ltd).
• Provides LED bulbs at ₹10 upfront, rest recovered via easy EMIs from electricity bills.
• Self-Help Groups (SHGs) also enrolled for distribution.

👉 Significance: Reduced electricity bills, promoted energy efficiency, and contributed to climate goals.

Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP)

• Vision: Prakash Path – replacing conventional street lights with energy-efficient LED lights.
• Model:
  • EESL installs and maintains LEDs at its own cost (no burden on municipalities).
  • Municipalities repay from savings in electricity bills (about 50% saving).
  • EESL contracts last ~7 years, ensuring free replacement & maintenance.

👉 Significance: Reduced energy bills of municipalities and improved urban lighting.

ECO Niwas Samhita

• An Energy Conservation Building Code for Residential Buildings (ECBC-R).
• Promotes energy-efficient design in homes, apartments, and townships.

👉 Significance: Reduces household energy consumption, supports sustainable housing.

National Power Portal (NPP) Dashboard

• A centralized platform for collation and dissemination of information related to generation, transmission, and distribution of power.

👉 Significance: Enhances transparency and real-time monitoring in the power sector

Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA)

• Objective: Achieve universal household electrification.
• Activities:
  • Last mile connectivity to all rural households.
  • Electricity connections to urban poor households.
  • Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) standalone systems for households in remote areas.

👉 Significance: Ensured every household in India gets access to electricity— a milestone in development.

Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) Scheme

• Launched in 2008 under National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) (part of NAPCC).
• Aim: Improve energy efficiency in industries and reduce GHG emissions.
• Covers: Energy-intensive sectors (cement, power plants, fertilizers, aluminum, etc.).
• Mechanism:
  • Industries given energy efficiency targets.
  • Those exceeding targets earn Energy Saving Certificates (ESCerts).
  • These certificates are tradable with industries that failed to meet targets.

👉 Significance: Market-based approach to reduce energy use.

Islanding Schemes for Power Sector

• Concept: In case of major grid failure, isolate a part of the power system to ensure supply to critical infrastructure (defense, health, banking, water, food, etc.).
• Ensures essential services continue during blackouts.

👉 Significance: Improves power system resilience and national security.

Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS, 2023)

• Established under Energy Conservation Act 2001 (amended in 2022).
• Aim: Create Indian Carbon Market (ICM) to reduce emissions by 45% from 2005 levels by 2030.
• Institutional Structure:
  • National Steering Committee (NSC) / Indian Carbon Market Governing Board (ICMGB).
  • Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE): Administer scheme, set emission targets.
  • CERC: Regulate carbon trading.
  • Grid Controller of India: Registry of ICM.

👉 Significance: First national carbon trading framework, aligns with climate commitments.

Star Labelling Programme (SLP)

• Launched by BEE in 2006.
• Covers 34 appliances (11 mandatory, rest voluntary).
• Labels appliances with star ratings (1 to 5) based on efficiency.
• In 2018, Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (ISEER) introduced for air conditioners.

👉 Significance: Helps consumers choose energy-efficient appliances, reduces electricity bills.

EV as a Service Programme

• Aim: Promote EV adoption in government offices to cut carbon emissions.
• Target: Deploy 5,000 electric cars in govt departments over two years.
• Agency: Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) (subsidiary of EESL, under Ministry of Power).
• Goal: Support India’s Net Zero 2070 commitment.

👉 Significance: Government leads by example, encouraging EV adoption nationwide.