The Remote Village Electrification Programme in India: Assessment of Experience in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) of the Government of India, has been implementing schemes for electrification of remote villages through renewable energy sources since 2001-02. The early programme was renamed as 'Remote Village Electrification Programme' (RVEP) in 2003- 04 aligning it with and complementing the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) of the Ministry of Power. Under this scheme about 97 per cent of the villages receive solar photovoltaic home lighting systems, which provide two lights to each household.