With the improvement in electricity genera­tion its consumption has also recorded phenomenal growth. The per capita consumption of electricity was 16 km in 1950-51, which increased to 39 km in 1960-61, 102 km in 1970-71, 162 km in 1980- 81. 313 km in 1990-91 and 389 km in 1994-95.

With the rise of the standard of living of the people, urbanisation, industrialisation and transport development there has been rapid increase in the demark for electricity. The country is facing acute power crisis and the mismanagement of state electrical boards has further aggravated the problem.

On sector-wise basis there is maximum co’ assumption (35.6%) of electricity in industries, ( lowed by domestic sector (24.8%), agriculture (22.9%), commercial sector (8.1%) and traction | (2.5%), Earlier industrial and domestic sectors to­gether consumed 75% of the electricity generate Due to mechanisation of agriculture and popularity of individual pumping sets as means of irrigation f there has been many fold increase in the demands( electricity in agricultural sector (from 3.9% in 1950 51 to 31.4% in 1998-99).

With the modernization agriculture this demand is bound to increase further in near future. Table 16.XIII gives a sector-west consumption of electricity during 1950-51 and 2004- 05. Although the net consumption of electricity has increased in all sectors the trend of consumption has recorded faster growth in agricultural and domestic sectors.

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There is a great deal of spatial inequality in the distributional pattern of electricity in the country. Although electricity is a state subject 28% of its installed capacity and 36% of generation are pro­vided by central government projects. D.V.C. account for about 3 per cent of the installed caracal and 2 per cent of the power generation of the country, two densely populated states of Uttar Pradesh ant Bihar inhabiting 26.4 per cent of the country’s population share only 4.84% of the total installed cabal