NSSO report suggests Gujarat's lag in household power consumption vis-a-vis several other Indian states

Fresh figures released by India's powerful National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), based on its 68th round of survey, have exposed the loud Gujarat government claims of highest electricity per capita consumption in Gujarat compared to any other major Indian state. Released recently in “Household Consumption of Various Goods and Services in India, 2011-12”, the survey-based report suggests the electricity consumption in Gujarat’s household is lower than nine states both in urban and rural areas out of 20 major Indian states.
The figures show, in the rural areas, the per capita household electricity consumption is 10.7 units per capita per month, while in the urban areas twice as much – 23.6 units. However, Gujarat’s electricity consumption in the rural areas was found to be less than that of Andhra Pradesh (15.7 units), Haryana (15.8 units), Himachal Pradesh (31.9 units), Jammu & Kashmir (16.4 units), Kerala (17.8 units), Maharashtra (11 units), Punjab (23 units), Tamil Nadu (17 units), and Uttarakhand (13.7 units). The all-India is 8.9 units per capita per month.
In the urban areas, according to the NSSO data, Gujarat’s per capita per month household electricity consumption was found to be 23.6 units, which was lower than Andhra Pradesh (25.6 units), Haryana (36.5 units), Himachal Pradesh (48.6 units), Jammu & Kashmir (29.2 units), Kerala (29.7 units), Maharashtra (27.7 units), Odisha (23.9 units), Punjab (35 units), and Tamil Nadu (36.4 units). The report shows that the all-India average is higher than Gujarat's -- it is 25.8 units.
Interestingly, the figures which official Gujarat government sources quote to prove a higher consumption of power include the electricity consumed by industrial and agricultural sectors as well, hence they do not show how much are common masses consuming. If one takes these two sectors into consideration, indeed, then the per capita per month electricity consumption would come to 138.6 units per capita per month. This is higher than all states except Punjab (150 units), and double that of India.

The NSSO figures, however, go to suggest that, while Gujarat’s industrial and agricultural sectors seem to be consuming very high electricity -- at least double than what the country consumes -- and also more than nearly all major states, when it comes to power consumption by individual households, Gujarat’s lag is conspicuous and discernible. "The report goes to suggest that Gujarat was just an average state under Narendra Modi as chief minister of Gujarat between 2001 and 2014, and not the best, when it came to electricity consumption", a senior economist commented.

Explaining the data, the NSSO report states, “In case of electricity there was, in rural areas, in the seven-year period between 2004-05 and 2011-12, a rise of 36 per cent in the proportion of electricity-consuming households (compared to a rise of 6 per cent in urban areas) and of 57 per cent in per capita quantity of electricity consumed (compared to 29 per cent in urban areas).”

The report adds, “Electricity made up about 50% of fuel expenditure in the average urban household and 22% in the average rural household. Electricity was consumed by 96% households in urban areas and 74% in rural areas.”

Comments

Dalit rights and political tensions: Why is Mevani at odds with Congress leadership?

While I have known Jignesh Mevani, one of the dozen-odd Congress MLAs from Gujarat, ever since my Gandhinagar days—when he was a young activist aligned with well-known human rights lawyer Mukul Sinha’s organisation, Jan Sangharsh Manch—he became famous following the July 2016 Una Dalit atrocity, in which seven members of a family were brutally assaulted by self-proclaimed cow vigilantes while skinning a dead cow, a traditional occupation among Dalits.

Powering pollution, heating homes: Why are Delhi residents opposing incineration-based waste management

While going through the 50-odd-page report Burning Waste, Warming Cities? Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Incineration and Urban Heat in Delhi , authored by Chythenyen Devika Kulasekaran of the well-known advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability, I came across a reference to Sukhdev Vihar — a place where I lived for almost a decade before moving to Moscow in 1986 as the foreign correspondent of the daily Patriot and weekly Link .

Boeing 787 under scrutiny again after Ahmedabad crash: Whistleblower warnings resurface

A heart-wrenching tragedy has taken place in Ahmedabad. As widely reported, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane crashed shortly after taking off from the city’s airport, currently operated by India’s top tycoon, Gautam Adani. The aircraft was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members. As expected, the crash has led to an outpouring of grief across the country. At the same time, there have been demands for the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Civil Aviation Minister.

Global NGO slams India for media clampdown during conflict, downplays Pakistan

A global civil rights group, Civicus has taken strong exception to how critical commentaries during the “recent conflict” with Pakistan were censored in India, with journalists getting “targeted”. I have no quarrel with the Civicus view, as the facts mentioned in it are all true.

Whither SCOPE? Twelve years on, Gujarat’s official English remains frozen in time

While writing my previous blog on how and why Narendra Modi went out of his way to promote English when he was Gujarat chief minister — despite opposition from people in the Sangh Parivar — I came across an interesting write-up by Aakar Patel, a well-known name among journalists and civil society circles.

Remembering Vijay Rupani: A quiet BJP leader who listened beyond party lines

Late evening on June 12, a senior sociologist of Indian origin, who lives in Vienna, asked me a pointed question: Of the 241 persons who died as a result of the devastating plane crash in Ahmedabad the other day, did I know anyone? I had no hesitation in telling her: former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, whom I described to her as "one of the more sensible persons in the BJP leadership."

Why India’s renewable energy sector struggles under 2,735 compliance hurdles

Recently, during a conversation with an industry representative, I was told how easy it is to set up a startup in Singapore compared to India. This gentleman, who had recently visited Singapore, explained that one of the key reasons Indians living in the Southeast Asian nation prefer establishing startups there is because the government is “extremely supportive” when it comes to obtaining clearances. “They don’t want to shift operations to India due to the large number of bureaucratic hurdles,” he remarked.

Guha plans book to counter Dalit, Marxist, and right-wing critics of Gandhi, recalls Modi’s 'pernicious lie' on Patel

Let me first confess: writing about an event three weeks after it has taken place is no good, especially for a newsperson. However, ever since I attended the public lecture by well-known historian Ramachandra Guha on May 18, organised by Sarthak Prakashan for the release of the Gujarati edition of his book monumental book "India After Gandhi", frankly, I kept wondering if he had said anything newsworthy apart from what had already appeared in the media ever since the book's first edition came out in 2007. Call it my inertia or whatever.

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Search This Blog