IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v109y2017icp109-120.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Rural electricity access in India in retrospect: A critical rumination

Author

Listed:
  • Palit, Debajit
  • Bandyopadhyay, Kaushik Ranjan

Abstract

Despite the large-scale efforts towards electrification in India since the time of independence, approximately 45 million households still continue to be without electricity access. This paper critically analyses the evolution of the process of rural electrification in India, the factors that potentially determine the household electricity access and juxtaposed that with the policies adopted over three distinct time periods: the pre-independence period; the period of state ownership and the post-reforms period. The paper then builds on the key insights that could be drawn from the evolution in retrospect and attempts to highlight key historical challenges that the electricity sector has been constantly grappling with. The paper observes that during the early period of Five Year Plans, electricity was mainly used for productive input in agro-industries and for irrigation. Household access was only given priority when it was started to be considered as a basic input in the 1980s. With the enactment of the Electricity Act in 2003, the importance of electricity as an infrastructure for changing the rural landscape was felt. Based on the insights gained from the critical analysis of process of rural electrification in retrospect, the paper provides specific inputs for policy making for rural electrification in India.

Suggested Citation

  • Palit, Debajit & Bandyopadhyay, Kaushik Ranjan, 2017. "Rural electricity access in India in retrospect: A critical rumination," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 109-120.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:109:y:2017:i:c:p:109-120
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2017.06.025
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421517303816
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.06.025?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sudeshna Ghosh Banerjee & Douglas Barnes & Bipul Singh & Kristy Mayer & Hussain Samad, 2015. "Power for All : Electricity Access Challenge in India," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 20525.
    2. Ranganathan, V., 1993. "Rural electrification revisited," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 142-151, February.
    3. Chaurey, Akanksha & Ranganathan, Malini & Mohanty, Parimita, 2004. "Electricity access for geographically disadvantaged rural communities--technology and policy insights," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(15), pages 1693-1705, October.
    4. Shah, Tushaar & Verma, Shilp, 2008. "Real-time co-management of electricity and groundwater: an assessment of Gujarat’s pioneering Jyotirgram Scheme," Conference Papers h041811, International Water Management Institute.
    5. Bhattacharyya, Subhes C., 2006. "Energy access problem of the poor in India: Is rural electrification a remedy?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(18), pages 3387-3397, December.
    6. Baskaran, Thushyanthan & Min, Brian & Uppal, Yogesh, 2015. "Election cycles and electricity provision: Evidence from a quasi-experiment with Indian special elections," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 64-73.
    7. Palit, Debajit & Malhotra, Ramit & Kumar, Atul, 2011. "Sustainable model for financial viability of decentralized biomass gasifier based power projects," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 4893-4901, September.
    8. Shah, Tushaar & Verma, Shilp, 2008. "Real-time co-management of electricity and groundwater: an assessment of Gujarat’s pioneering Jyotirgram Scheme," IWMI Conference Proceedings 235174, International Water Management Institute.
    9. Kumar, Atul & Mohanty, Parimita & Palit, Debajit & Chaurey, Akanksha, 2009. "Approach for standardization of off-grid electrification projects," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(8), pages 1946-1956, October.
    10. Chaurey, Akanksha & Krithika, P.R. & Palit, Debajit & Rakesh, Smita & Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2012. "New partnerships and business models for facilitating energy access," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(S1), pages 48-55.
    11. Bhattacharyya, Subhes C., 1994. "An overview of problems and prospects for the Indian power sector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 19(7), pages 795-803.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kennedy, Ryan & Mahajan, Aseem & Urpelainen, Johannes, 2019. "Quality of service predicts willingness to pay for household electricity connections in rural India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 319-326.
    2. Sarangi, Gopal K. & Pradhan, Abhilas Kumar & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2021. "Performance assessment of state-owned electricity distribution utilities in India," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 516-531.
    3. Rakeshkumar Mahto & Deepak Sharma & Reshma John & Chandrasekhar Putcha, 2021. "Agrivoltaics: A Climate-Smart Agriculture Approach for Indian Farmers," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-28, November.
    4. Pelz, Setu & Aklin, Michaël & Urpelainen, Johannes, 2021. "Electrification and productive use among micro- and small-enterprises in rural North India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    5. Palit, Debajit & Kumar, Atul, 2022. "Drivers and barriers to rural electrification in India – A multi‐stakeholder analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    6. Aklin, Michaël & Chindarkar, Namrata & Urpelainen, Johannes & Jain, Abhishek & Ganesan, Karthik, 2021. "The hedonic treadmill: Electricity access in India has increased, but so have expectations," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    7. Ray, Sudatta, 2020. "Beyond Lights: The Changing Impact of Rural Electrification on Indian Agriculture," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304223, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    8. Saha, Debalina & Bhattacharya, Rabindra N., 2019. "Analysis of the welfare implications of power-sector restructuring in West Bengal, India," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 62-71.
    9. Pelz, Setu & Chindarkar, Namrata & Urpelainen, Johannes, 2021. "Energy access for marginalized communities: Evidence from rural North India, 2015–2018," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    10. Sidhu, Balsher Singh & Kandlikar, Milind & Ramankutty, Navin, 2020. "Power tariffs for groundwater irrigation in India: A comparative analysis of the environmental, equity, and economic tradeoffs," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    11. Nihit Goyal & Michael Howlett & Namrata Chindarkar, 2020. "Who coupled which stream(s)? Policy entrepreneurship and innovation in the energy–water nexus in Gujarat, India," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 40(1), pages 49-64, February.
    12. Brian Blankenship & Johannes Urpelainen, 2020. "Electric Shock: The 2012 India Blackout and Public Confidence in Politicians," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 37(4), pages 464-490, July.
    13. Subhes C. Bhattacharyya, 2018. "Mini-Grids for the Base of the Pyramid Market: A Critical Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-21, April.
    14. Verma, Mandhir Kumar & Mukherjee, V. & Kumar Yadav, Vinod & Ghosh, Santosh, 2020. "Indian power distribution sector reforms: A critical review," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    15. Pelz, Setu & Urpelainen, Johannes, 2020. "Measuring and explaining household access to electrical energy services: Evidence from rural northern India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    16. Sachiko Graber & Tara Narayanan & Jose F. Alfaro & Debajit Palit, 2019. "Perceptions towards solar mini‐grid systems in India: A multi‐stakeholder analysis," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 43(4), pages 253-266, November.
    17. Roy, Brototi & Schaffartzik, Anke, 2021. "Talk renewables, walk coal: The paradox of India's energy transition," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Palit, Debajit & Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Cooper, Christopher & Zoppo, David & Eidsness, Jay & Crafton, Meredith & Johnson, Katie & Clarke, Shannon, 2013. "The trials and tribulations of the Village Energy Security Programme (VESP) in India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 407-417.
    2. Palit, Debajit & Kumar, Atul, 2022. "Drivers and barriers to rural electrification in India – A multi‐stakeholder analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    3. Shilp Verma & Manisha Shah, 2019. "Drought-Proofing through Groundwater Recharge," World Bank Publications - Reports 33240, The World Bank Group.
    4. Torero, Maximo, 2014. "The Impact of Rural Electrification," MPRA Paper 61425, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Garces, Estefany & Franco, Carlos J. & Tomei, Julia & Dyner, Isaac, 2023. "Sustainable electricity supply for small off-grid communities in Colombia: A system dynamics approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    6. Hill, Rebecca Lee & Curtin, Kevin M., 2011. "Solar powered light emitting diode distribution in developing countries: An assessment of potential distribution sites in rural Cambodia using network analyses," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 48-57, March.
    7. Andreas Kemmler, 2006. "Regional disparities in electrification of India – do geographic factors matter?," CEPE Working paper series 06-51, CEPE Center for Energy Policy and Economics, ETH Zurich.
    8. Liming, Huang, 2009. "Financing rural renewable energy: A comparison between China and India," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(5), pages 1096-1103, June.
    9. Andrea Vaona & Natalia Magnani, 2014. "Access to electricity and socio-economic characteristics: panel data evidence from 31 countries," Working Papers 15/2014, University of Verona, Department of Economics.
    10. Maximiliane SIEVERT & Jorg PETERS, 2017. "The Impact of Rural Electrification Challenges and Ways Forward," Working Paper 2f9349f5-6cb3-424d-9bc2-a, Agence française de développement.
    11. Chambon, Clementine L. & Karia, Tanuj & Sandwell, Philip & Hallett, Jason P., 2020. "Techno-economic assessment of biomass gasification-based mini-grids for productive energy applications: The case of rural India," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 432-444.
    12. Vibhor Saxena & P.C. Bhattacharya, 2015. "Inequalities in accessing LPG and electricity consumption in India: The role of caste, tribe, and religion," Discussion Paper Series, School of Economics and Finance 201512, School of Economics and Finance, University of St Andrews, revised 25 Jun 2017.
    13. Comello, Stephen D. & Reichelstein, Stefan J. & Sahoo, Anshuman & Schmidt, Tobias S., 2017. "Enabling Mini-Grid Development in Rural India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 94-107.
    14. Oda, Hisaya & Tsujita, Yuko, 2011. "The determinants of rural electrification: The case of Bihar, India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 3086-3095, June.
    15. Raha, Debadayita & Mahanta, Pinakeswar & Clarke, Michèle L., 2014. "The implementation of decentralised biogas plants in Assam, NE India: The impact and effectiveness of the National Biogas and Manure Management Programme," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 80-91.
    16. Malhotra, Abhishek & Schmidt, Tobias S. & Haelg, Leonore & Waissbein, Oliver, 2017. "Scaling up finance for off-grid renewable energy: The role of aggregation and spatial diversification in derisking investments in mini-grids for rural electrification in India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 657-672.
    17. Sankhyayan, Pooja & Dasgupta, Shyamasree, 2019. "‘Availability’ and/or ‘Affordability’:What matters in household energy access in India?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 131-143.
    18. Chaurey, Akanksha & Kandpal, Tara Chandra, 2010. "Assessment and evaluation of PV based decentralized rural electrification: An overview," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(8), pages 2266-2278, October.
    19. Patel, Vimal R. & Upadhyay, Darshit S. & Patel, Rajesh N., 2014. "Gasification of lignite in a fixed bed reactor: Influence of particle size on performance of downdraft gasifier," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 323-332.
    20. Chaurey, A. & Kandpal, T.C., 2010. "A techno-economic comparison of rural electrification based on solar home systems and PV microgrids," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 3118-3129, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:109:y:2017:i:c:p:109-120. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.