Centre Sets The Ball Rolling For Rs 515 Crore Scheme To Electrify One Lakh Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Households

The Centre has started preparation for electrification of one lakh un-electrified households in particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) areas across 18 states.

This comes after the President of India accorded approval to implement a new solar power scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN).

According to the order, the project includes installation of 0.3 kW solar off-grid systems for electrification of PVTG households and introduction of solar lighting in 1,500 multi-purpose centres (MPCs) in areas beyond the reach of the conventional grid.

Set to be rolled out over three years, from 2023-24 to 2025-26, the scheme has a total financial outlay of Rs 515 crore.

Of the Rs 515 crore, the government has earmarked Rs 500 crore for the electrification of households. Here, the financial assistance for each household will be either Rs 50,000 or the actual cost of the system.

For solar lighting in 1,500 multipurpose centres, the government has budgeted Rs 15 crore. Each centre will be given Rs 1 lakh.

In November 2023, the Union cabinet had approved the Rs 24,000 crore PM JANAM scheme, to provide basic facilities likes roads, power, homes, mobile connectivity, safe housing, clean drinking water to the most backward among the Scheduled Tribes, the PVTGs.

According to the 2011 census, India has a Scheduled Tribe (ST) population of 10.45 crore, with 75 communities across 18 states and the UT of Andaman and Nicobar Islands identified as PVTGs. These PVTGs continue to grapple with vulnerabilities in social, economic, and educational domains.

The latest initiative is poised to usher in a transformative phase in India's energy landscape, specifically aimed at elevating the quality of life for tribal communities by ensuring access to clean and dependable electricity.

The move also aligns seamlessly with India's international commitments to augment the proportion of non-fossil fuels in its energy portfolio, as stipulated by the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Officials said the package has seen a massive contribution from the office of President Droupadi Murmu, who demonstrated a keen interest in personally supervising the implementation of the plans.