The Nitish Kumar government on Tuesday called the Centre's Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (Saubhagya) a replication of Bihar's model of providing electricity to all households.

'We welcome the Centre's decision as the Bihar model would now be replicated at the national level,' energy minister Bijendra Yadav told The Telegraph on Tuesday.

The Rs 16,320 crore Saubhagya scheme that Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched on Monday entails power connection to all households by the end of 2018. Around 4 crore households across the country are likely to benefit from this scheme.

The Rural Electrification Corporation has been made the nodal agency. It is estimated that around Rs 14,000 crore would be spent in rural areas.

Beneficiaries would be identified using the 2011 census data and families not covered under it would be provided connection on a payment of Rs 500, which has to be paid in 10 instalments along with the electricity bill.

There are stark similarities between the scheme announced by Modi and the one already being implemented by the Bihar government under 'Har Ghar Bijli', primarily in that both schemes entail providing power to all households.

The second similarity lies in the cut-off date for providing electricity connection to all households. Both Har Ghar Bijli and Saubhagya have a target of December 2018.

Another similarity lies in provisions for payment. According to the Har Ghar Bijli scheme, part of the seven resolves chief minister Nitish Kumar announced in 2015, below poverty line (BPL) families get power connection free of cost. In case of above poverty line (APL) families, the scheme has the provision of collecting the Rs 2,145 connection charge in 10 equal instalments, the amount of which would be added to the monthly electricity bill. Under the central scheme too, power is free for BPL households and there is provision for 10 equal instalments for APL families while the amount to be paid is less.

Bihar has provided power connection to 98 lakh households. Of the remaining 56 lakh households that are still awaiting power connection, 21 lakh are below poverty line and 35 lakh above poverty line.

A senior official of the Bihar State Power Holding Company Limited (BSPHCL), speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Telegraph that Bihar's Har Ghar Bijli scheme had received praise from central government officials since its launch and they were apprised on details of the scheme during the national workshop on universal household electrification held in Patna on August 8.