Launched in 2017, the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (Saubhagya) was aimed at closing India’s last-mile electricity gap by providing connections to willing unelectrified rural households and poor urban households.
By March 31, 2022, when the scheme formally closed, States reported 2,86,13,424 households electrified, with Uttar Pradesh accounting for the largest share at 91,80,571 connections, according to the Ministry of Power.
The government has since shifted its focus towards households left out of Saubhagya through the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), under which further household-electrification works have been sanctioned.
The Centre maintains that Saubhagya achieved its core objective, while officials and researchers have stressed that a household connection is only one part of meaningful electricity access.
A 2026 study covering 449,088 households found that electricity access improved by nearly 11% between the survey rounds and recorded a significant positive effect associated with Saubhagya, while also identifying continuing rural-urban and socio-economic disparities.
From Villages To Homes
Saubhagya marked a shift in India’s electrification strategy: from asking whether a village had electricity infrastructure to asking whether individual households actually had a connection. When the scheme was launched in September 2017, the government estimated that around four crore households lacked electricity connections.
The programme was designed to address the final stretch by providing last-mile connectivity, including a service cable, meter, basic wiring, an LED bulb and a mobile-charging point. In remote locations where extending the grid was not feasible or cost-effective, standalone solar systems were also envisaged.
The scale was significant. Of the 2.86 crore households reported electrified during the scheme period, Uttar Pradesh alone accounted for more than 91.8 lakh, followed by Bihar with around 32.6 lakh and Odisha with more than 24.5 lakh. The government has repeatedly reiterated these figures, including in a February 2026 parliamentary response.
Former Power Minister Piyush Goyal had described the policy shift in simple terms during the scheme’s early years, saying the government wanted to move beyond counting a village as electrified and instead focus on “powering every household”.
However, the definition of electrification has always been contested. Goyal himself acknowledged in 2017 that if electrification meant making power available to consumers 24×7, it would be a much bigger challenge for utilities. That distinction remains relevant today: installing a connection does not necessarily guarantee reliable or affordable electricity.
What Happened After Saubhagya?
Saubhagya formally closed on March 31, 2022, after all sanctioned works were completed. Yet the government has acknowledged that some households remained outside the scheme, while others became willing to take connections after the original identification exercise. In March 2023, then Power Minister R.K. Singh said 2.86 crore households had been electrified, including households that had initially been unwilling to take connections but later expressed willingness.
The Centre is now using RDSS to address households left out of Saubhagya. In August 2025, the Ministry of Power said works for on-grid electrification of left-out households were being supported under RDSS, including eligible households identified through initiatives such as PM-JANMAN, DA-JGUA and the Vibrant Village Programme.
The government’s latest February 2026 response continues to describe Saubhagya’s reported 286 lakh connections as its achievement, while positioning RDSS as the programme focused on improving the quality and reliability of electricity supply.
Independent research also suggests that the story is more nuanced than the headline figure. A 2026 study published in Utilities Policy, using data from 449,088 households across two National Family Health Survey rounds, found that electricity access increased by nearly 11% and estimated a significant positive effect from Saubhagya.
At the same time, it found that access remained more likely among urban, wealthier and more literate households, while marginalised communities and areas with higher transmission and distribution losses continued to face disadvantages.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Saubhagya’s 2.86-crore figure represents a major expansion of formal electricity access, particularly for households that had remained outside India’s rapidly developing power network. But the real measure of success cannot stop at the installation of a meter.
Electricity becomes transformative when a child can study without worrying about darkness, when a family can safely use essential appliances, and when a small business can depend on a stable power supply. The government’s own transition from Saubhagya to RDSS reflects this broader challenge: access must evolve into reliable, affordable and equitable access.
Also read: Odisha Headmaster Allegedly Drinks On Duty, Leaves 35 Students Locked Inside School
