Piyush Goyal launches LED bulb scheme in Goa

Panaji (Goa): Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday launched the Centre's scheme for mass distribution of Light-Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs at subsidized rates in Goa.

Under the scheme titled 'Ujala', residents of Goa will be given three LED bulbs for Rs. 25 each in the first stage. Subsequently, they will get each bulb at a total of Rs. 85, part of which can be paid in instalments.

Addressing a two-day conference on power and renewable energy Panaji, Goyal also launched the 'Urban Jyoti' app that provides consumers a transparent platform on power related services.

"We are ensuring that all the schemes are implemented in a transparent and honest manner. We are ensuring that the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get 24x7 power for all, every household to get power, every farmer to get adequate power, industrialisation to grow rapidly, this dream of Prime Minister Modi to give 24x7 affordable, clean power for all," he said.

Chief Minister of Goa, Laxmikant Parsekar, was also present at the conference.

"Our thrust is going to be on hydro and wind so that those two sectors also get the same momentum that we gave solar last year. And we are very confident of achieving our target of 1,75,000 (megawatt) by the year 2022," Goyal said.

Solar energy has been a key component of National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, one of the eight core programmes under the NAPCC, aims to create an enabling policy framework for the deployment of 20,000 MW of solar power and 20 million solar lighting systems for rural areas by 2022.

Early this week, the New and Renewable Energy ministry sanctioned a scheme for setting up 1,000 MW CTU-connected wind power projects to give a fillip to the government's wind energy programme.