While India officially declared 100% village electrification in 2018 under the Saubhagya and DDUGJY schemes, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Electrification only required 10% of homes in a village to have electricity—not universal or reliable access.
🔎 According to the World Bank, in many states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, power cuts range from 2–8 hours per day, making daily life unpredictable. Students can’t study after dark, farmers can’t irrigate fields on time, and healthcare centers often operate without functioning equipment.
➡️ “Electricity is there, but the bulb rarely lights up,” says a farmer from Bihar in a Down to Earth field report.
In urban areas, power cuts last minutes. In villages, they last hours or even days. The inconsistency affects:
- Children’s education (no light for studying)
- Farmers’ productivity (no electricity for irrigation or motors)
- Healthcare access (vaccines spoil without refrigeration)
- Entrepreneurship (tailoring units, kirana shops, and digital services shut down)
📉 A 2022 report by Smart Power India found that only 48% of rural households receive electricity for more than 12 hours a day.
Health, Safety & Money
Lack of electricity means households fall back on kerosene lamps, which are:
- Expensive: Up to ₹300/month for kerosene
- Toxic: Indoor air pollution from kerosene causes respiratory illness, especially in children and the elderly
- Dim: Very low-quality lighting that strains the eyes
And more than just inconvenience, dark streets contribute to higher rates of theft, gender-based violence, and snake bites in rural India.
⚠️ According to NITI Aayog, kerosene use in households contributes significantly to indoor air pollution, a major health risk in rural areas.
Remote Villages Are Still Left Out
While the government tracks grid connections, the last-mile connectivity remains weak. Villages in hilly, forested, or border areas—like Simrajra in Jharkhand or parts of Northeast India—still have no poles or wires.
Reasons include:
- Poor road access
- Red tape and land disputes
- Lack of maintenance budgets
- Cattle damaging wires and poles
📍 77 years after independence, some villages in Jharkhand are still not connected to the grid, reports Times of India (2024).
Decentralized Solar: The Future is Bright
Solar microgrids, home kits, and solar streetlights are lighting up areas where the government grid cannot reach. They’re:
- Affordable (one-time setup + zero fuel cost)
- Reliable (independent of grid fluctuations)
- Sustainable (zero emissions)
- Community-led (run by local youth or SHGs)
🌞 According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), decentralized renewables like solar can provide universal electricity access to all by 2030—at a much lower cost than grid extension.
✔️ So What Can You Do?
- Support solar initiatives in rural India through donations or partnerships
- Raise awareness about the real meaning of “electrification”
- Advocate for reliable, 24/7 electricity—not just wires on poles
- Help fund solar streetlights or home kits for families in darkness