Sixty-four per cent consumers still don’t know how to get the subsidised LED bulbs being made available by the government of India, a survey conducted by citizen engagement platform LocalCircles revealed.
The poll was carried across 56 cities and 20 States. The government had announced an LED distribution scheme under which electricity board customers are eligible to buy LED bulbs at a subsidised rate. This scheme was launched in April 2015.
The situation was worst in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, where around 96% of the respondents were not aware of this government scheme.
Poor communication
According to the survey, poor communication is one of the prime reasons for the lack of awareness about this scheme. Consumers are not aware of the number of bulbs they can buy, the places to get them and the paperwork required. “Every State Electricity Board communicates to customers by sending them bills via the post. Not many SEBs have chosen to use the bills to communicate this offer to the consumer,” LocalCircles’ report says.
