It was a lightbulb moment for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday as he launched a scheme to spread LED bulbs throughout homes in Delhi.

He also opened a national scheme to get the low energy bulbs in homes and streetlamps across the country.

According to the Prime Minister’s website, Modi called for a people’s movement to back the bulbs which can use a tenth less energy than incandescent ones.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

As of yesterday, households could pre-register online to get the bulbs in Delhi for a payment of 10 rupees, paying another 10 rupees a month for 12 months via their electricity bill.

They will pay 130 rupees in total which the Indian government says is cheaper than the market price of around 350-600 rupees for LED bulbs because of bulk buying.

The Indian government estimated homes in Delhi could save 162 rupees a year per LED bulb.

The site also reported the Prime Minister’s suggestion that traditional New Year gifts such as diaries and calendars should be replaced by gifts of LED bulbs.

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