1. Dr. Satish Balram Agnihotri
‘Energy access ‘
tracing the contours of deprivation
Part - II

2. Source of lighting
Where do Indian citizen get the light in their lives?

3. Electricity as source of light

4. When we talk of lighting, electricity strikes us as the first
source.
But its distribution may not be even. Even when an area is
electrified all households may not be able to have access to it.
Census 2001 shows three clusters of districts – one where
more than 2/3rds of households use electricity as source of
lighting, one where half of the households do not get it and
the third or the intermediate cluster.

5. < 50%
50% - 67%
> 67%
Source of Light
Use of ‘Electricity’ in (Rural+Urban) Sector
Census 2001

6. But the picture in the urban region is different. The
cluster cut off is at 87% and 81%. Why do the poor
migrate to urban areas? An answer perhaps lies
there.

7. < 81%
81% - 87%
> 87%
Source of Light
Use of ‘Electricity’ in Urban Sector
Census 2001

8. The pattern of the rural deprivation is revealed from
the maps below. While more than 67% households
continue to use electricity for lighting in the better
off zone, less than 25% households are able to do
so in the large cluster in the north and east.

9. < 25%
25% - 67%
> 67%
Source of Light
Use of ‘Electricity’ in Rural Sector
Census 2001

10. Kerosene as source of light

11. In 2001, Kerosene seemed to be the only other
source with other sources being only bit players. This
can be seen from the nearly identical maps of districts
where <33% households used Kerosene for lighting
and the cluster where more than 67% did so.

12. < 33%
33% - 67%
> 67%
Source of Light
Use of ‘Kerosene’ in (Rural+Urban) Sector
Census 2001

13. Solar Light as source of light

14. Interestingly, even in 2001 there were clusters of
districts where more that 0.2% households were
using Solar Lights in rural and urban areas.

15. Source of Lighting
Use of Solar Light as on Census 2001
More than 0.2% households More than 0.2% households
Rural Urban

16. Households with ‘No source of Light’

17. Source of Lighting
Use of ‘No Source of Lighting’ in Rural Sector
Intriguingly there have
been >0.5% households in
certain clusters where there
has been No Source of
Light.
These needed attention
from the system
More than 0.5% households
Census 2001

18. What change do the 2011 data show ?

19. Map reveals >80% of households using electricity for
lighting in 2011 in the same region where 2001
census showed > 67% households doing so. However
and intriguingly the position in respect of the region
where <50% households use electricity has remained
more or less the same with the cut off reducing from
50% to 47%.

20. < 47%
47% - 80%
> 80%
Source of Light
Use of ‘Electricity’ in (Rural+Urban) Sector
Census 2011

21. Te improvement in access to electricity for lighting is
seen from the map below with a clear cluster showing
80% or more households using electricity for lighting.
The urban cluster where less than 80% households
use electricity is used as source of lighting is more or
less the same as the deprived cluster in 2001. It
shows that the level of deprivation may reduce but
the relative deprivation remains same.

22. Source of Light
Use of ‘Electricity’ in Urban Sector
More than 80% Households
Census 2011

23. But the picture is not satisfactory in the rural area
where the districts with more than 75% households
using electricity for lighting comes down considerably.

24. Source of Light
Use of ‘Electricity’ in Rural Sector
More than 75% Households
Census 2011

25. Not surprisingly, the cluster where more that 50%
rural households use Kerosene for lighting has
remained nearly unchanged.

26. Source of Light
Use of ‘Kerosene’ in Rural Sector
More than 50% Households
Census 2011

27. What has happened to the use of solar energy?
We now have a much larger patch where >0.3%
households use it in rural areas while in urban such a
coverage is obtained only when we lower the cut off
to >0.1% of the households !

28. Source of Lighting
Use of Solar Light as on Census 2011
More than 0.3% households More than 0.1% households
Rural Urban

29. But interestingly there are small pockets emerging
where more than 2% rural households are using solar
lights.

30. Source of Light
Use of ‘Solar Light’ in Rural Sector
More than 2% Households
Census 2011

31. A list of these districts shown in the map below is
given in Annexure I

32. Annexure - I
District Value District Value District Value District Value
ANJAW 25.0 CHAMOLI 5.7 BANDIPORE 4.2 SONBHADRA 2.5
LEH (LADAKH) 18.0
KURUNG
KUMEY
5.6
PASHCHIMI
SINGHBHUM
4.2 EAST SIANG 2.5
DIBANG VALLEY 16.4
KARBI
ANGLONG
5.5 JASHPUR 4.1
SARAIKELA-KHARSAWAN
2.4
LOWER DIBANG
VALLEY
14.2
UPPER
SUBANSIRI
5.4 SAIHA 3.8 SOUTH GARO HILLS 2.4
KARGIL 11.7
NORTH CACHAR
HILLS
5.3 ARWAL 3.7 DHEMAJI 2.3
TAMENGLONG 11.4 CHAMPAWAT 5.2 NARMADA 3.6 DINDORI 2.2
LAHUL And SPITI 11.2 DHALAI 4.8 UKHRUL 3.0 ALIRAJPUR 2.2
KISHTWAR 10.9 KORIYA 4.7 KUPWARA 3.0 SENAPATI 2.1
CHURACHANDPUR 8.7 BARMER 4.5 PITHORAGARH 2.9 BETUL 2.1
WEST SIANG 8.7 JAISALMER 4.4 ALMORA 2.8 MAMIT 2.1
UPPER SIANG 8.2 BIJAPUR 4.4 UTTARKASHI 2.8 DANTEWADA 2.1
LAWNGTLAI 7.5 KHUNTI 4.4 BIKANER 2.7
NANDURBAR 6.8 KORBA 4.3 LUNGLEI 2.7
EAST KAMENG 6.8
SOUTH 24
PARGANAS
4.2 TEHRI GARHWAL 2.6