6 crore bulbs! Karnataka set for ‘Hosa Belaku’ launch

Energy minister D.K. Shivakumar disclosed here that six crore bulbs are required and a proposal has been made to Energy Efficiency Service Limited of the Union government to provide them. They have called for a tender with state factories to be accorded priority for 20 per cent of the order.

“Noted companies like Bajaj, Philips, Wipro are being finalized for the tender. Already 50 lakh bulbs are being manufactured. We had planned to launch the scheme in January but later, we felt there should not be any delay, so we are launching it now. Even though there is a poll code of conduct in force, we have taken permission from the Election Commission for the purpose. “They have agreed on the condition that members of local bodies should not be part of the programme. So we have not printed their names, they will not sit on the stage. But they can participate like any other common man,” he said.

Linemen and bill collectors are being entrusted the task of installing the bulbs in households to prevent them from reaching the markets or remaining unused. “We are planning to give 10 bulbs to each household to begin with. Each consumer can save 40 percent energy with this. The saving of '10 per bulb will be included in the power consumer’s bill for ten months. As per the agreement between the state and centre, when we collect the instalment amount, we will pay Energy Efficient Service Limited,” he said.