Evaluation of impact

Under the project, IRADe was to study in five states – Assam, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh – the progress of village electrification in terms of coverage and quality of coverage (such as infrastructure, electrification of Below Poverty Line (BPL) households, etc.). One of the main objectives is to list various Governments and their agencies responsible for various tasks for successful implementation of RGGVY projects and comment on the efficiency in fulfilling those responsibilities. IRADe studied 25 districts and 125 villages i.e. five districts in each state and five villages in each district. Implementation issues for RGGVY were discussed with various government agencies, Discoms, district officials, village panchayats and households. We found that good quality rural electricity distribution infrastructure was built and positive socio-economic impact was observed. Also, while BPL consumers benefited, there was a need for wider acceptance by Above Poverty Line (APL) households to receive and pay for electricity for better utilization of the distribution network and its economic viability. The next phase of the programme should address these issues. scheme, ‘electrified’