Around 1.5 crore LED bulbs will be sold in rural areas at a price of ₹10 as part of the first phase of the Gram Ujala programme launched on Friday by Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Ltd.

Launched by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and New & Renewable Energy RK Singh in his parliamentary constituency Arrah, Bihar, the Gram Ujala programme will lead to national energy savings of 2.025 billion KWh per year and CO2 reductions of 1.65 million tonnes CO2 per year, CESL said in a statement.

In the first phase of this programme, high-efficiency 7-watt and 12-watt LED bulbs will be distributed across villages of Aarah (Bihar), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Vijaywada (Andhra Pradesh), Nagpur (Maharashtra), and in western Gujarat, the statement added.

The bulbs will carry a warranty of three years and will be given to rural consumers against the submission of working incandescent bulbs. Consumers can exchange a maximum of five bulbs. Participating rural households will also have metres installed in their houses to account for usage.

Further, carbon credit documentation will be sent to UN-accredited validators for inclusion into the Shine Program. Carbon credits will be prepared under the Shine Program with an option for verifying under the Voluntary Carbon Standard, depending on the needs of carbon credit buyers, the statement said.

Buyers of carbon credits will also be sought through an open process based on initial discussions with the market. The balance cost and margin on the LED cost will be recouped through the carbon credits earned, the statement added.

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