India News

100 per cent villages electrified – a status report

Published

8 years ago

April 30, 2018

100 per cent villages electrified - a status report

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]India reached an important milestone on Saturday, April 28 evening with Manipur’s Leisang village becoming the last of India’s 597,464 inhabited villages to be connected to electricity supply network.

PM Narendra Modi had promised on August 15, 2015 that all unelectrified villages would get power over the next 1,000 days. The initial deadline for total rural electrification was last year, May 2017 which was missed.

The last inhabited village to be powered through the off-grid system — isolated supply networks, mostly with solar power plants — was Pakol, also in Manipur.

The PM tweeted: “28th April 2018 will be remembered as a historic day in the development journey of India. Yesterday, we fulfilled a commitment due to which the lives of several Indians will be transformed forever. I am delighted that every single village of India now has access to electricity.”

At the time of Modi’s announcement in August 2015, data showed 18,452 villages out of the total 597,464 without power. When work on village electrification started, another 1,275 villages were found to be without access to electricity. Some 1,200 villages are uninhabited and 35 were notified as grazing reserves.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1525082150440{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #a2b1bf !important;border-radius: 10px !important;}”]According to the government, a village would be declared as electrified if:

1) Basic infrastructure such as Distribution Transformer and Distribution lines are provided in the inhabited locality as well as the Dalit Basti/ hamlet where it exists. (For electrification through Non Conventional Energy Sources a Distribution transformer may not be necessary).

2) Electricity is provided to public places like Schools, Panchayat Office, Health Centres, Dispensaries, Community centers etc. and

3) the number of households electrified should be at least 10% of the total number of households in the village.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Village electrification means that the infrastructure to supply power has reached the village. The next step is providing connection to all households and ensuring adequate power supply to them. The Saubhagya scheme (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana) is intended to address this aspect.

The Modi government has promised to deliver uninterrupted power supply to all households by March 2019, which seems to be a much more difficult task.

According to official data on government website quoted in media reports, in mid-October 2017, of 18 crore rural households, around 82 per cent or 14.8 crore were electrified and 3.2 crore were without electricity.

There was wide variation across states, with those such as Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh showing 100 per cent coverage, while only 55 per cent of the households in Uttar Pradesh and 48 per cent in Jharkhand were electrified.

The seeds of 100 per cent village electrification were sowed with the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), a scheme with a projected outlay of Rs 76,000 crore, that Modi had launched on July 25, 2015. This scheme drew from Modi’s successful experiment as Gujarat chief minister to separate farm and household feeders in rural areas to ensure 24×7 power to households and assured supply to farmers.

One of the key objectives of the DDUGJY was to achieve 100 per cent village electrification. It also envisaged separating feeders, strengthening distribution network, metering at all levels and setting up micro grid and off-grid distribution networks.

To put things in perspective, here is a brief look at the progress of rural electrification in India.

In 1947, during the time of Independence, only 1,500 of India’s villages were electrified.

Between 2005 and 2014, the UPA-I and UPA-II governments connected over 1,082,280 villages to the grid and connections were provided to over 20 million households, out of which 19 million were given free connections, reported The Wire.

When the Modi government announced its new rural electrification scheme, only 18,452 villages did not have power supply.

On average, the UPA electrified 12,030 villages per year while the Modi government electrified 4,842. However, most of the 18,000 odd villages the current administration had to tackle are in far-flung areas and remote locations, making its task doubly harder.

“And to its credit, in 2016-17, 6,015 villages were electrified, five times more than what was done by the UPA-II in 2013-14,” said The Wire.

The Modi government’s flagship Deendayal Upadhyaya Grameen Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) has also focused on what it calls “intensive electrification”. The DDUGJY website as of February 2018 noted that while 99.8% of census villages had been electrified, “intensive electrification” had been completed in around 80% of villages.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

India News

Indian Army Agniveer CEE Result 2026 declared, ARO-wise merit list released

The Indian Army has announced the Agniveer CEE Result 2026. Candidates can now download the ARO-wise merit list and check their eligibility for the next stages of recruitment.

Published

6 hours ago

July 13, 2026

APNLive Desk

The Indian Army has announced the Agniveer Common Entrance Examination (CEE) Result 2026, allowing candidates to check their qualifying status through the official recruitment portal. The Army Recruitment Office (ARO)-wise merit lists have been uploaded on joinindianarmy.nic.in, where candidates can download the PDF corresponding to their recruitment region.

The merit lists contain the names and roll numbers of candidates who have successfully cleared the written examination and become eligible for the next phase of the Agniveer recruitment process.

How to check Indian Army Agniveer CEE Result 2026

Candidates can access their results by following these steps:

Visit the official Indian Army recruitment website.
Click on the Agniveer CEE Result 2026 link available on the homepage.
Select the relevant Army Recruitment Office (ARO) or recruitment region.
Download the merit list PDF.
Search for your roll number or name to confirm your qualification status.

What happens after the Agniveer CEE result?

Candidates shortlisted in the Common Entrance Examination will now have to undergo the remaining stages of the recruitment process. These include:

Physical Fitness Test (PFT)
Physical Measurement Test (PMT)
Document Verification (DV)
Medical Examination

Only candidates who successfully clear every stage will be considered for final selection under the Agniveer recruitment programme.

Candidates advised to verify details carefully

After downloading the merit list, candidates should carefully check all the information mentioned in the document. If they notice any discrepancy related to their result or personal details, they should immediately contact their respective Army Recruitment Office (ARO) for assistance.

Candidates are also advised to keep checking the official Indian Army recruitment portal for updates regarding the schedule, venue and instructions for the upcoming physical tests, document verification and medical examination.

India News

Delhi air quality slips to poor as AQI reaches 261, highest in over 85 days

Delhi’s air quality entered the ‘poor’ category after AQI touched 261, its highest level since April 17. Authorities attributed the spike to transnational dust from Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.

Published

7 hours ago

July 13, 2026

APNLive Desk

Delhi’s air quality fell into the ‘poor’ category on Sunday after the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) climbed to 261, marking its highest level in more than 85 days, according to official data.

The reading was the highest since April 17, when the AQI stood at 263. Just a day earlier, Delhi had recorded an AQI of 140, while air quality had largely remained in the ‘moderate’ and ‘satisfactory’ categories for most of the month.

Transnational dust behind spike in pollution

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said the sudden deterioration in Delhi-NCR’s air quality was mainly caused by long-range winds carrying mineral dust generated by storm activity in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.

According to the commission, these dust-laden winds reached northwestern India, including Delhi, resulting in a significant rise in PM10 concentrations. Strong surface winds across the Indo-Gangetic Plain also contributed to the increase in pollution levels.

The CAQM said Delhi’s air quality is expected to remain in the ‘poor’ category for the next few days before improving once the transnational dust spell weakens.

No GRAP Stage-I restrictions for now

Despite the worsening air quality, the CAQM decided not to implement GRAP Stage-I restrictions, stating that the current pollution episode has been triggered by transnational dust rather than local emission sources.

However, the commission directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to intensify dust control measures across the city.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI between 201 and 300 falls under the ‘poor’ category.

Delhi experiences humid weather

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the maximum temperature at Safdarjung reached 36.8 degrees Celsius, which was 1.3 degrees above normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 28.3 degrees Celsius, one degree above the seasonal average.

Although the actual maximum temperature remained below 37 degrees Celsius, high humidity pushed the feels-like temperature to 45.7 degrees Celsius by 5:30 pm.

Among other weather stations, maximum temperatures were recorded at 37 degrees Celsius at Lodhi Road, 36.6 degrees Celsius at Palam, 36.2 degrees Celsius at Ayanagar and 36 degrees Celsius at Ridge.

Minimum temperatures stood at 27.1 degrees Celsius in Palam, 27.2 degrees Celsius in Lodhi Road, 27.4 degrees Celsius in Ayanagar and 25.6 degrees Celsius at Ridge.

Weather outlook

The IMD has forecast strong surface winds during the daytime on Monday, with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to remain around 37 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Relative humidity varied between 64 per cent at 8:30 am and 52 per cent at 5:30 pm.

India News

Red Fort bomb threat declared hoax after extensive security checks in Delhi

Delhi Police declared a bomb threat targeting the Red Fort a hoax after conducting a detailed security search following an alert received from Mumbai Police.

Published

2 days ago

July 11, 2026

APNLive Desk

Delhi’s iconic Red Fort witnessed heightened security on Saturday after authorities received a bomb threat targeting the historic monument. Following a detailed inspection and sanitisation drive, Delhi Police confirmed that the threat was a hoax and no explosives were found.

Threat call routed through Mumbai Police

According to officials, the threat was initially received by the Mumbai Police Control Room. The caller allegedly claimed that the Red Fort would be blown up.

Mumbai Police immediately shared the information with the Delhi Police Control Room, which alerted the North District Police. Security personnel were deployed at the monument, and a comprehensive search operation was launched to ensure public safety.

After completing the inspection, officials ruled out any security risk and declared the threat to be false.

Security concerns remain high after previous terror incident

The latest threat comes around eight months after a deadly vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED) blast near the Red Fort Metro Station claimed 15 lives and left several others injured.

Investigators had alleged that the blast was carried out by Umar-un-Nabi, a Kashmiri doctor associated with Al-Falah University in Faridabad, who was driving a Hyundai i20. The explosion occurred on the same day security agencies recovered around 2,900 kg of explosives, including ammonium nitrate, from neighbouring Faridabad in Haryana.

According to investigators, the accused allegedly triggered the explosion after two suspected associates were arrested and the explosives were seized during the operation.

Authorities had identified several other accused linked to the case. Investigators alleged that the group was part of a white-collar terror module associated with Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist organisation.

Earlier arrests linked to alleged attack plots

In May, Delhi Police’s Special Cell arrested nine men who were allegedly linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim.

Police alleged that the accused were planning attacks on critical infrastructure and security personnel in Delhi, Mumbai and other parts of the country. According to investigators, potential targets included airports, railway stations, power plants and other vital installations.

Although Saturday’s bomb threat was found to be fake, the incident once again prompted swift security measures at one of the country’s most significant heritage sites.