The UJALA Scheme was introduced in 2015 by the Indian government. UJALA full form is Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LED for All. The UJALA scheme is related to replacing 77 million incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs. UJALA was launched to build up phase-wise LED distribution across India to provide people with affordable LED bulbs and energy-efficient appliances, which had previously been a barrier to adopting energy-efficient technologies. The UJALA scheme aims to promote energy-efficient lighting and increase awareness of using efficient tools to decrease electricity costs and protect the environment. 

UJALA Scheme is one of the most important topics for the UPSC IAS exam. It covers a significant part of the Government Schemes section in the General Studies Paper-2 Syllabus and current events of national importance in general studies paper -1 of the UPSC Prelims Syllabus.

In this article, we shall study the objective, features, and significance of Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LED for All scheme. 

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What is UJALA Scheme?

The UJALA Scheme stands for Unnat Jeevan by Affordable LEDs and Appliances for All. It is an initiative launched by the Government of India. It aims to promote energy efficiency and reduce the consumption of electricity. 

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Objectives of the UJALA Scheme

The primary goal is to encourage efficient lighting and raise knowledge about using efficient equipment, which decreases electricity bills and aids in environmental preservation.

• To build up a phased distribution of LEDs throughout the country.
• To raise widespread public knowledge about the necessity of energy efficiency.
• To promote energy efficiency at the domestic level throughout India.
• To spread the message about how energy efficiency affects environmental preservation in the long run.

Source: PIB

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Implementation of the Scheme

Here are some key points about the implementation of the UJALA scheme:

• Under the UJALA scheme, LED bulbs are distributed to households across the country at subsidized rates. LED bulbs are more energy-efficient and have a longer lifespan compared to incandescent bulbs.
• The LED bulbs are made available to consumers at affordable prices. This makes it easier for them to switch to energy-efficient lighting solutions.
• The use of LED bulbs helps in significant energy savings as they consume less electricity compared to traditional bulbs.
• By using LED bulbs, households can save on their electricity bills in the long run. LED bulbs consume less electricity and have a longer lifespan.

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Features of the UJALA Scheme

• The Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of Public Sector Undertakings under the Ministry of Power, is implementing the UJALA Scheme.
• It is the world’s largest household lighting project.
• It was first known as the DELP (Domestic Efficient Lighting Program) but was later renamed UJALA.international-energy-agency
• Ujala scheme implemented by the Ministry of Power.
• The UJALA plan is based on a ‘demand aggregation-price crash model,’ which entails exploiting economies of scale to reduce prices.
• Under the UJALA initiative, the government provides two payment alternatives for purchasing LED bulbs.
• Under this scheme, every grid-connected user with a metered connection from their individual Electricity Distribution Company can obtain LED bulbs for around 40% of the market price.
• The initiative is being implemented by the Electricity Distribution Company and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a public sector organisation of the Government of India.

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Benefits of UJALA Scheme

• Each household can acquire LEDs for just Rs 10 each, provided they exchange functional old incandescent lamps.
• Each rural household can receive up to 5 LEDs.
• Additionally, meters will be installed in these households to monitor their energy usage.
• The transition to LEDs in all 300 million Indian lights could result in substantial benefits: energy savings of 40,743 million kWh/year, avoidance of peak demand by 22,743 MW/year, and a reduction of 37 million tons of CO2 emissions annually, contributing positively to climate change action in India.

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Significance of UJALA Scheme 

• The UJALA program fueled a market change in energy efficiency.
• The scheme has helped citizens save money on their electricity costs (a 15% reduction in average household electricity rates) while also providing improved lighting in their homes by permitting the move from expensive incandescent bulbs to LEDs.
• Furthermore, the money saved goes toward a family’s discretionary income and long-term investments, improving their quality of life and creating wealth in their communities.
• The scheme significantly boosted the domestic LED market, which sold more than 1.15 billion LEDs, exceeding the UJALA program’s aim of 700 million LED units (as of 2020).
• Furthermore, the government is aggressively introducing programs to advance the country further along the path of transforming illumination and energy efficiency.
• For example, under the Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP), EESL intends to attract investments worth Rs. 8,000 crore (US$ 1.09 billion) by 2024, covering entire rural India. The company intends to install and retrofit around 30 million LED street lights.

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Initiatives under UJALA Scheme

Some of the initiatives under the UJALA scheme are listed below.

Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP)

• On January 5, 2015, the Hon’ble Prime Minister inaugurated the Street Lighting National Program (SLNP) to replace traditional street lights with smart, energy-efficient LED street lights across India.
• EESL replaces traditional street lights with LEDs at its own expense (without requiring towns to contribute). The resulting decrease in energy and maintenance expenses reimburses EESL over time.
• EESL typically engages in contracts with towns for seven years. During this time, it not only promises a minimum energy saving (often 50 percent) but also offers free replacements and maintenance of lights at no additional expense to the municipality.

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GRAM UJALA scheme

• The government launched the GRAM UJALA scheme for rural households in March 2021 to distribute LED bulbs at a reasonable Rs. 10 per bulb.
• Under this scheme, rural consumers who submit working incandescent bulbs will be awarded 7-watt and 12-watt LED lights with a three-year warranty.
• Convergence Energy Services Ltd. (CESL), a state-run Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. subsidiary, will distribute these bulbs \.
• To match India’s climate change action, the government proposes distributing 1 crore 50 lakh LED bulbs in phase-I of the GRAM UJALA, resulting in significant energy savings of 2025 million kWh/year and CO2 reductions of 1.65 million tonnes CO2/year.
• The scheme has touched 6,150 people in Arrah, Bihar, within two days of its launch.

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Why Choose LED Bulbs Over Incandescent Bulbs?

LEDs are vastly superior to incandescent lamps for the following reasons:

• An incandescent bulb has about 1,200 hours, whereas LEDs have a far longer lifespan of 50,000-1,000,000.
• LEDs use around 75% less energy than incandescent lights.
• LEDs run at substantially lower temperatures than super-heated incandescent bulbs because they convert energy into light. In contrast, incandescent lights turn heat into light.

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UJALA Scheme in Malacca, Malaysia

• Following the successful adoption of the UJALA scheme in India, a similar model was introduced in Malacca, Malaysia, on September 6, 2017.
• Under the UJALA scheme, each Malacca household will receive 10 high-quality 9-watt LED bulbs at a cost of RM 10.

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