Undertaken By: Council on Energy, Environment and Water, Recent Publication: 2018
ACCESS 2018 survey revisits the households to understand the changes in their energy access situation over the last three years, and to study the impact of government policies during this period. Its analysis and findings provide a multidimensional view of the nuances associated with electricity access and cooking energy access such as the duration of supply, quality, reliability, affordability, availability and health and safety. According to the 2018 survey, over the last three years, there has been a significant improvement in electricity access among rural households in the states surveyed. As per ACCESS 2018, 84 per cent of households in these states are already connected to the grid, and this number is increasing rapidly under the Saubhagya scheme. More notably, around 80 per cent of rural households depend on grid electricity and solar home systems and/or solar lanterns for their primary lighting needs, up from 44 per cent in 2015. Consequently, the share of rural households who reported that they depend on kerosene as their primarily source for lighting has seen a significant reduction from more than 50 per cent in 2015 to less than 20 per cent in 2018. To know more, download the full report.