Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana

Things to know about Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana

1. The project was launched by the Prime Minister in Bihar and it has been operational for more than a year
2. DDUGJY aims at complete electrification of India, especially the rural segment of the country
3. DDUGJY is a flagship project of the Ministry of Power and it draws inspiration from a similar project implemented by the state government in Gujarat

1. The key components of the project are:
   1. Feeder separation
   2. Strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution infrastructure
   3. Metering at all levels of transmission
   4. Micro grid and off grid distribution network
   5. Rural electrification
2. The funds required for the completion of the project was estimated to be around Rs.76000 crores
3. The project plan includes laying of new lines across thousands of kilometers and setting up of hundreds of new substations
4. Due to the agriculture feeder separation, the main beneficiaries of the scheme include agrarian states like Bihar
5. The scheme aims towards improvement of agricultural productivity and electrification of all households in the nation

Though the project focuses on sub-transmission and distribution infrastructure in rural areas, it will also extend conventional or renewable or non-conventional sources such as bio fuel, geothermal, solar etc., for power generation where grid connectivity is not feasible.

An overview of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana

It is a known fact that the power demand of the nation will continue to rise with the increase in population of the country. The traditional techniques of power generation and supply may not be able to meet this ever growing demand.

Therefore, government is working out methods to modernize the power production and distribution techniques.

DDUGJY was launched as many of the rural areas in the nation were faced with insufficient power supply, which often pushed the distributors to cut off the power for long durations.

The problem of power shortage affects both agro and non-agro customers.

DDUGJY also takes into consideration the growing power demands due to the improvement in living standards.

Therefore the augmentation of rural infrastructure on a periodic basis is an imperative.

Sub-transmission is another key area of focus as it improves the quality of power supply to a considerable level. Strengthening the sub-transmission system will ensure that there are less loops in the entire transmission line, the result of which is uninterrupted power supply.

Power distribution is also affected to a great extent due to low investments in the distribution networks and government aims to strengthen the same to ensure quality and reliability. Also, a metering of all categories of customers will ensure commercial viability of electricity distribution. The main objectives of the project include:

1. Electrification of villages
2. Metering system to reduce power losses
3. Feeder separation to separate power supply between farmers and general consumers
4. Improvement of sub-transmission and distribution networks underscoring quality and reliability

Benefits of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana

1. Electrification of all rural households in the country
2. One of the direct benefits of DDUGJY is the increase in agricultural produce on a national level
3. It will create new avenues for employment as the small scale businesses will grow rapidly
4. Considerable changes in health, education and other related services
5. Improved access to digital services such as internet, telephone, radio, television, etc.
6. Improvement in the social security levels due to complete electrification
7. Uninterrupted power access in schools, hospitals, panchayats, police stations, etc.
8. Increased opportunities for an overall development in rural areas