In the midst of the coronavirus shutdown, rural India is being operated by mini-grid services and not by thermal power stations for electricity supply, and more people are seeking a viable solution to their energy needs.
In the midst of the coronavirus shutdown, rural India is being operated by mini-grid services and not by thermal power stations for electricity supply, and more people are seeking a viable solution to their energy needs. 90% of the respondents in a survey conducted by Smart Power India (SPI), a subsidiary of the Rockefeller Foundation, said that they could rely on mini grid services for their electricity supply during lockdown, a report titled ‘Impact of Post COVID-19 Lockdown’ said on Friday. States such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar participated in the survey, which included 30 per cent households, 48 per cent shops and 22 per cent rural enterprises. Mini grid services are provided in remote areas where it is not possible for the region to be powered by national supplies.
"Mini-grid services effectively drive rural India's need for reliable electricity," said Jaideep Mukherji, CEO of Smart Power India, adding that electricity availability also helped rural people gain access to healthcare services and benefits from Jan Dhan Yojana. Some of the government's flagship initiatives have also helped to cushion the blow of coronavirus to rural India. These initiatives include welfare schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and the accounts of Jan Dhan. During the lockout, more than one in three of those surveyed said they used Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and Jan Dhan Yojana as coronavirus to dry up revenue sources. However, the economic activities in the mini-grid villages are still lagging behind due to a nationwide lockdown.
The villages receive 16 hours of electricity on a daily basis during the lockdown, 65 percent of the respondents said. However, Uttar Pradesh witnessed a significant drop in government grid-connected electricity supply from the previous 16 hours to 12 hours a day recently. Bihar, on the other hand, reportedly improved from 16 hours to 20 hours a day. However, those who have access to mini-grid services have improved. Mini-grid services are crucial to India's national electrification drive, as some regions can not be connected to the national grid.
