GoI’s UJALA scheme launched in Malaysia

Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), under Ministry of Power, Government of India will replicate UJALA in the Malaysian state of Melaka, and extend the programme benefits to people of the region. The scheme was launched by Datuk Seri Utama Ir. Hj. Idris Bin Hj. Haron, Chief Minister of Melaka.

Under this scheme, each household in Melaka will get 10 high quality 9 W LED bulbs at a cost of only RM 10, which is a special price and is almost half of what in begin offered in the market. The distribution of these LED bulb will take place from 28 numbers of Japerun in the region. Japerun are a unique community welfare and engagement centres, which are situated across the Melakan state.

Under the extensive and ever-expanding idea of UJALA, EESL plans to distribute about 1 million 9W LED bulbs, which will replace 18 W CFLs. The initiative will have the logistical assistance and facilitation support from Green Growth Asia, which is a not for profit organization. The price of each bulb will be way lesser than global average price of the LED bulbs, which still swings between $3-5.

Notably, each bulb that is being provided by EESL under the UJALA scheme in Melaka comes with a 3-year free replacement warranty against any technical defects. These bulbs sent from India will be of leading brands and manufacturers like Osram, Philips along with other companies of repute.

Giving an overview of expectations, Chief Minister Idris Haron, said, “India’s zero-subsidy UJALA programme has paved the way for a brighter future and has now travelled to our country. We will do our bit to seize the learnings of this programme and replicate the same in Malaysian state of Melaka. This will not only benefit the environment, but will also foster new avenues of economic growth in the region.”

A reflection of state government’s aspirations, this inclusive scheme will positively impact the economy of the region. This programme will further improve the quality of life of the people residing in the region. With an aim to reduce the annual household electricity bills by approximately 10.22 million RM every year, households will be able to make significant monetary savings in their electricity bills.

UJALA’s impact in Malaysia will bring about clean energy, contribute to climate change targets and save the already dwindling energy resources. With a fairly large switch to LED bulbs, Melaka will be able to reduce carbon emissions by around 19,000 tonnes per year.

An innovative zero-subsidy model, this scheme will help reduce the subsidy burdens of the state government. The concept of energy efficiency has strongly overcome many bottlenecks and this adoption by a Malaysian state is yet another achievement towards furthering the idea of energy efficiency to conserve the resources, money and environment.

A leadership by example, UJALA scheme aims to demonstrate executable energy efficiency projects and reduce carbon emissions. Amongst the South East Asian Countries (ASEAN), the Malaysian State of Melaka will be the first to execute the UJALA project.