India's electrification Miracle
17 Jan 2023 12:59:32
Since 2014, when Narendra Modi became PM of India, India has witnessed a miracle of sorts. It is not the social, cultural, or religious miracle that we are talking about. We are talking about the electrification miracle that took place from 2014-15 to 2019-21.
In the NFHS (National Family Health Survey) 4 data from 2014-15, only 53% of India’s households had an access to electricity. In the NFHS 5 data from 2019-2021, the number has zoomed to a whopping 86%. That is an overall jump of 33%.
As great as it looks, the even more astonishing and miraculous figures lie on state levels. Especially the poorest and the most backward parts of India. In states like Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh the improvement is simply startling.
In Assam, household electrification went from 27% in 2014 to 69% in 2021. In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, it went from 63% to 91% and 63% to 93% respectively. In Jharkhand, it went from 38% to 77%. In the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, the figures went from 19% to 63%. And the biggest jump was witnessed in perhaps the most backward state of India, ie. Bihar, where the number skyrocketed from 15% in 2014 to 83% in 2019. That is a jump of 68%.
In the Northeastern small states, Arunachal Pradesh went from 55% to 81%. Tripura from 67% to 91%. Manipur from 74%to 91%. Whereas the smallest state of India, Goa, went from 99% to 100% electrification.
The electrification of India since 2014 has been an everyday blessing for the poorest of India. Electrification has saved incalculable manhours for the poorest of Indians which they could use to improve their productivity and improve their quality of life. This along with the Water connection scheme, Toilets, gas cylinders, and free ration for 80 crore Indians have improved the quality of life of the poorest of Indian remarkably. All of this combined has stitched well into the PM’s dream of Antyodaya.