Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Power addressed concerns regarding unelectrified villages and unreliable power supply, particularly in remote and tribal regions, in response to questions raised in Lok Sabha. The government has supplemented state efforts through schemes like DDUGJY, IPDS, SAUBHAGYA and RDSS to achieve 100% village and household electrification. All willing households were electrified by March 31, 2019, under SAUBHAGYA. Electrification works are expected to be completed by the end of the RDSS scheme period.
Key Points / Main Content:
* **Electricity Supply Standards:**
* Distribution licensees are required to supply 24x7 power to all consumers, as per Rule 10 of the Electricity Rights of Consumers Rules, 2020.
* Commissions may specify lower hours of supply for certain consumer categories like agriculture.
* **Government Electrification Schemes:**
* The Government of India has been supporting state efforts through schemes like DDUGJY, IPDS, and SAUBHAGYA, and currently under RDSS.
* All inhabited unelectrified census villages in the country were reportedly electrified by April 28, 2018.
* Electrification of all willing households was completed by March 31, 2019, under SAUBHAGYA.
* DDUGJY and SAUBHAGYA schemes closed on March 31, 2022.
* **Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS):**
* RDSS has relaxed electrification norms and enhanced cost ceilings to cover all left-out households, based on feasibility.
* As of June 30, 2025, works amounting to Rs. 6,513 Cr. have been sanctioned for electrification of 13.64 lakh households under RDSS.
* Includes electrification works for PVTG households under PMJANMAN, tribal households under DAJGUA, Scheduled Caste households under PMAJAY, and remote border households under VVP, where feasible.
* Works worth Rs.50 Cr. have been sanctioned under the New Solar Power Scheme for offgrid solar based electrification of 9,961 households as of June 30th, 2025.
Impact Analysis:
**State Government Distribution Utilities:**
* *Impact:* Responsible for providing quality and reliable power supply to all consumers, including those in remote, tribal, and forested regions, in accordance with the Electricity Rights of Consumers Rules, 2020.
* *Action Required:* Ensure 24x7 power supply to all consumers, subject to any specific provisions by the Commission for certain categories.
**Consumers (including tribal communities, forest-dwelling populations, and economically backward rural regions):**
* *Impact:* Entitled to quality and reliable power supply. Benefit from electrification efforts under RDSS and the New Solar Power Scheme.
* *Action Required:* Engage with the distribution utility to report any issues with power supply and to benefit from the ongoing electrification schemes.
Key Entities Referenced
Maharashtra: A state in India, focus of the electrification efforts mentioned in the document.
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Parliament of India, where the question was answered.
Ministry of Power: The Indian government ministry responsible for power generation, transmission, and distribution.
Gadchiroli, Maharashtra: A district in Maharashtra, specifically mentioned as an area with unelectrified or underelectrified villages.
Nandurbar, Maharashtra: A district in Maharashtra, specifically mentioned as an area with unelectrified or underelectrified villages.
Palghar, Maharashtra: A district in Maharashtra, specifically mentioned as an area with unelectrified or underelectrified villages.
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana DDUGJY: A Government of India scheme for rural electrification.
Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana SAUBHAGYA: A Government of India scheme to provide electricity to all households.
Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme RDSS: A Government of India scheme aimed at improving the quality and reliability of power supply.
Amravati, Maharashtra: A district in Maharashtra, specifically the Melghat region is mentioned.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF POWER
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4619
ANSWERED ON 21.08.2025
UNELECTRIFIED VILLAGES IN MAHARASHTRA
4619. PROF. VARSHA EKNATH GAIKWAD:
SHRI MOHITE PATIL DHAIRYASHEEL RAJSINH:
SMT. SUPRIYA SULE:
DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE:
SHRI BHASKAR MURLIDHAR BHAGARE:
Will the Minister of POWER
be pleased to state:
(a) the details of the number of villages and hamlets across the country that
are yet to be electrified or continue to face irregular and unreliable power supply
particularly in remote, tribal and forested regions, State-wise;
(b) the number of such unelectrified or under-electrified villages and hamlets
in Maharashtra, especially in districts such as Gadchiroli, Nandurbar, Palghar,
Melghat region in Amravati and other tribal-dominated or forest fringe areas;
(c) whether the Government has set any timeline or phase-wise action plan to
achieve 100% village and household electrification including last-mile
connectivity to habitations located in difficult terrain in Maharashtra and if so,
the details thereof; and
(d) the steps taken by the Government to ensure uninterrupted and quality
power supply to tribal communities, forest-dwelling populations and economically
backward rural regions of Maharashtra?
A N S W E R
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF POWER
(SHRI SHRIPAD NAIK)
(a) to (d) : As per Rule (10) of the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020,
the distribution licensee shall supply 24x7 power to all consumers. However, the
Commission may specify lower hours of supply for some categories of consumers
like agriculture. The Rules are applicable for all States and for all areas including
remote, tribal and forested regions. Accordingly, it is the responsibility of the
respective State Government/distribution utility to provide quality and reliable
supply of power to the consumers.
……..2.- 2 -
Government of India has supplemented the efforts of the States earlier
through schemes like Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY),
Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har
Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA) etc., and presently under the Revamped Distribution
Sector Scheme (RDSS) to help them achieve the objective of providing quality and
reliable power supply to all households.
As reported by the States, all the inhabited un-electrified census villages in
the country were electrified by 28th April, 2018. A total of 18,374 villages were
electrified during DDUGJY including 80 villages in the State of Maharashtra
(details of Maharashtra is placed at Annexure-I). Under DDUGJY and thereafter
under SAUBHAGYA, as reported by all States, electrification of all willing
households was completed by 31st March, 2019. A total of 2.86 crore households
were electrified during SAUBHAGYA including 15,17,922 households in the State
of Maharashtra. Both the schemes stand closed as on 31.03.2022.
Under RDSS, the norms for electrification have been relaxed and the ceiling
limit for cost of electrification has been enhanced to cover all left out households,
based on feasibility. Wherever not found feasible, off-grid Solar Photo voltaic
based electrification works have been sanctioned under New Solar Power
Scheme.
Till date, works amounting to Rs. 6,513 Cr. have been sanctioned for
electrification of 13.64 lakh households under RDSS (state wise details placed at
Annexure-II) including 17,529 households in the State of Maharashtra (details of
Maharashtra is placed at Annexure-III).This includes electrification works
sanctioned for all Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) households
identified under PM-JANMAN (Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha
Abhiyan), tribal households under DA-JGUA (Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh
Abhiyan), Scheduled Caste households under Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati
Abhyuday Yojna (PM-AJAY) and remote & border households under Vibrant Village
Program (VVP), wherever found feasible. The works are expected to be completed
by the end of the scheme period.
In addition, under New Solar Power Scheme, works amounting to Rs.50 Cr.
have been sanctioned for off-grid solar based electrification of 9,961 households
as on 30th June, 2025. State-wise details are placed at Annexure- IV.
*********ANNEXURE-I
ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION
NO. 4619 ANSWERED IN THE LOK SABHA ON 21.08.2025
*************
Details of Maharashtra villages electrified during DDUGJY
District Number of villages electrified
Amravati 1
Gadchiroli 51
Nandurbar 25
Raigarh 1
Thane 1
Yavatmal 1
Grand Total 80
************ANNEXURE-II
ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION
NO. 4619 ANSWERED IN THE LOK SABHA ON 21.08.2025
*************
State wise Household Electrification sanctioned under RDSS
Sanction Details Total
Sl. Total (HHs + Public
States / UTs
No. Outlay GBS (HHs + Public Places)
Places) Electrified
1 Andhra Pradesh 161 97 46,356 42,749
2 Arunachal 10,136 7
76 68
Pradesh
3 Assam 786 707 1,27,111 0
4 Bihar 301 180 42,584 0
5 Chhattisgarh 423 254 80,734 9,031
6 Gujarat 0 0 0 6,626
7 Himachal 100 0
7 6
Pradesh
8 Jammu & 29,183 0
197 177
Kashmir
9 Jharkhand 206 124 40,454 5,948
10 Karnataka 36 22 5,844 1,660
11 Kerala 7 4 1,482 448
12 Madhya Pradesh 459 275 90,265 24,751
13 Maharashtra 57 34 17,529 15,044
14 Manipur 214 193 36,972 0
15 Meghalaya 436 392 50,501 0
16 Mizoram 80 72 15,167 0
17 Nagaland 70 63 10,004 0
18 Odisha 0 0 0 2,588
19 Rajasthan 1765 1059 4,39,372 95,986
20 Tamil Nadu 30 18 8,603 6,348
21 Telangana 120 72 31,081 5,871
22 Tripura 105 94 19,853 11,835
23 Uttar Pradesh 964 579 2,58,700 245
24 Uttarakhand 15 13 2,049 742
25 West Bengal - - - 3,372
Total 6513 4503 13,64,080 2,33,251
Note: PVTG HHs in Gujarat, Odisha & West Bengal being electrified under State
Plan.
************ANNEXURE-III
ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION
NO. 4619 ANSWERED IN THE LOK SABHA ON 21.08.2025
*************
Details of Maharashtra households sanctioned under RDSS
Number of households
District
sanctioned
Ahilyanagar 579
Ahmednagar 161
Akola 103
Amravati 13
Beed 262
Bhandara 2
Buldhana 538
C.sambhajinagar 103
Chandrapur 508
Dhule 411
Gadchiroli 495
Gondia 185
Hingoli 818
Jalgaon 384
Jalna 78
Latur 42
Nanded 372
Nashik 3,109
Osmanabad 55
Palghar 1,879
Parbhani 457
Pune 1,035
Raigad 3,837
Satara 50
Solapur 259
Thane 615
Wardha 16
Washim 211
Yavatmal 881
Kolhapur 6
Sindhudurg 65
Grand Total 17,529
**********ANNEXURE-IV
ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION
NO. 4619 ANSWERED IN THE LOK SABHA ON 21.08.2025
*************
Off-grid solar based household electrification sanctioned under New Solar Power
Scheme
Sl. No. States No. of households Sanctioned
1 Andhra Pradesh 1,675
2 Chhattisgarh 1,578
3 Jharkhand 2,342
4 Madhya Pradesh 2,060
5 Karnataka 179
6 Kerala 98
7 Telangana 326
8 Tripura 1,703
Total 9,961
************