In a report published by the World Bank. the international organisation refuses to agree with the claims as made by the government of PM Modi with regards to the electrification scheme. To quote the report, ‘The figures as told by the government are totally out of synchronization with the reality.’
Hold on! If you think that the World Bank has given something to the liberals to rejoice about and attack PM Modi with renewed vigor, then you’re very wrong. According to their own investigations, World Bank claims that the process of electrification is progressing on a far better note than the estimate given my the government led by PM Modi. Contrary to the official figures, more than 85% households in India have an access to at least basic electricity as prescribed by law. In a methodology that includes all the accounts of the off-grid users as well, The World Bank has praised the Indian government for their intensive electrification scheme, one of the fastest in the world, second only to the likes of Bangladesh and Kenya.
To quote Vivien Foster, Lead Energy Economist at the World Bank, who is also the lead author of the mentioned report, ‘Energy Progress’, “India is doing extremely well on electrification. We are reporting India about 85 per cent of the population has access to electricity…….” She also added that this figure was higher than that of the Indian government. “That might surprise you. The government is currently reporting in low 80s,” she said.
To cut the long story short, the World Bank says that the report made by the Indian government in terms of their electrification scheme actually understates their own success. To hear this from a credible institution like World Bank is nothing less than commendable. This is enough to give massive burns to some, who think that the rural electrification success is nothing but a mere sham, or in other words a classic ‘jumla’.
According to the current sources, PM Modi has set the target for every Indian household to receive direct access to a regular, uninterrupted flow of power supply, irrespective of whether it’s in a rural or an urban area, by 2030. However, given the current rate of electrification, this target might be achieved well ahead of the stipulated deadline. India provided electricity to 30 million people each year, more than any other country, a World Bank report said. The report comes less than a week after PM Modi announced that all the villages in the country have been electrified.
Besides, the process has already started with PM Modi having brought forward the much touted SAUBHAGYA scheme, an electrification scheme that intends to give every Indian household an access to regular, uninterrupted electricity. The only concern World Bank has for this scheme is the regularity and continuity in the supply of power to the concerned applicants.
Nonetheless, given the way fake news and misinformation is being spread on social media and Indian news channels, it would hardly be a surprise if this bit of proof regarding the implementation of the electrification drive is also ignored and brushed aside by left-leaning citizens. This is one area where we can proudly concede that PM Modi and his government were indeed wrong.