Albanese credits Modi for expanding energy access in India
Australian PM Anthony Albanese credited PM Narendra Modi with expanding energy access for India's population, saying more people had been connected to energy under him than in any decade in any country in human history. He spoke to former PM Kevin Rudd on Sept 24 in New York. Over 10.5 crore Ujjwala gas connections and 2.8 crore Saubhagya electrifications were made. He called the India-Australia partnership under-utilised and said both leaders were keen on rectifying that.
Source
Prime Minister Narendra Modi · read the original report ↗
Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- Albanese said more people gained energy access in India under Modi than in any decade in any country in human history. — Directly quoted and attributed to Albanese, speaking with Kevin Rudd on Sept 24 at an Asia Policy Institute event in New York; a superlative opinion, not independently verified.
- Over 10.5 crore cooking gas connections under Ujjwala since 2016; over 2.8 crore households electrified under Saubhagya; over 50 lakh rooftop solar households under PM Surya Ghar; nearly 2.5 million farmers under PM-KUSUM. — Figures appear in the source but no issuing agency or document is cited.
- India expanded energy suppliers from 27 to 41 countries over the past decade. — Figure appears in the source with no source attribution.
- Bilateral India-Australia trade stood at $21.09 billion in 2025-26. — Attributed to commerce minister Piyush Goyal; period described as 2025-26.
- Albanese is likely to visit India in December for the G'Day Namaste event. — Stated as a likelihood in the source, not confirmed by an official announcement quoted in the text.
Analysts’ view opinion
Praise from a foreign leader is always useful domestic currency, and Albanese's remarks hand the Modi government another external endorsement for its "governance the world admires" narrative. Since Ujjwala and Saubhagya already sit at the centre of the BJP's welfare-delivery politics, expect this quote to travel widely on party platforms. Equally, Albanese's own interest is visible: by calling the India-Australia partnership "under-utilised", he is setting up a bigger trade and energy push ahead of his expected December visit.
- Beneficiary numbers (10.5 crore gas connections, 2.8 crore electrified households) are already core to the BJP's electoral pitch, and outside validation strengthens that framing.
- Opposition parties typically counter such schemes on affordability rather than reach — the "connection given, refill unaffordable" line — but this story records no such reaction.
- Albanese gains too: warm words before a business delegation visit help Australian export interests in energy, minerals and education.
- With energy security now a strategic theme for India — supplier countries expanded from 27 to 41 — the compliment lets the government fuse welfare delivery with foreign-policy credibility.
- Uranium exports and critical-minerals cooperation can be politically sensitive at home in both countries, so the test is how fast goodwill converts into deals.
What to watch — Watch how far energy and critical-minerals agreements advance around the expected December G'Day Namaste visit, and how heavily the BJP amplifies the quote in its messaging.
The story does not establish any political motive behind Albanese's praise, carries no Indian opposition response, and offers no independent assessment of actual usage or service quality under these schemes.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 5 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking to former Australian PM Kevin Rudd at an Asia Policy Institute event in New York on September 24 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, praised PM Narendra Modi for expanding energy access in India at an unprecedented scale. His remarks come as India pushes energy security amid global supply disruptions from the West Asia conflict and the Red Sea. Albanese also called the India-Australia partnership "under-utilised" and said both leaders want to fix that, with a likely India visit in December for the G'Day Namaste event.
Key facts
- Albanese said more people have been connected with access to energy in India under Modi than in any decade in any country or region in human history.
- The remarks were made on Sept 24 at an Asia Policy Institute event in New York, in conversation with former Australian PM Kevin Rudd, on the sidelines of UNGA meetings.
- Ujjwala scheme: over 10.5 crore domestic cooking gas connections provided since 2016.
- Saubhagya scheme: over 2.8 crore rural and poor urban households electrified.
- PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, described as the world's largest domestic rooftop solar initiative, has connected over 50 lakh households.
- PM-KUSUM has benefited nearly 2.5 million farmers through solar-powered irrigation systems.
- India diversified energy supplies from 27 to 41 countries over the past decade for its population of over 140 crore; the Strait of Hormuz carries a fifth of world energy trade.
- Commerce minister Piyush Goyal said India-Australia bilateral trade stood at $21.09 billion in 2025-26.
Timeline
- 2016Ujjwala scheme rollout begins; over 10.5 crore cooking gas connections provided since then.
- Past decadeIndia diversifies energy import sources from 27 to 41 countries; imports LNG from Australia when Gulf supplies were scarce.
- July this yearDuring PM Modi's visit to Australia, a joint statement calls for cooperation on reliable energy supplies, renewables, supply-chain resilience and electrification; Australian uranium exports to India agreed.
- Sept 24Albanese credits Modi for energy access expansion and calls the bilateral partnership 'under-utilised' at the New York event.
- December (expected)Albanese, with a Business Council of Australia delegation, likely to visit India for the G'Day Namaste event.
Who has a stake
- PM Narendra Modi — Credited internationally for expanding energy access; leads deepening of economic and energy ties with Australia.
- Australian PM Anthony Albanese — Seeks to rectify an 'under-utilised' partnership; likely to visit India in December with business delegation.
- Indian households and farmers — Beneficiaries of Ujjwala, Saubhagya, PM Surya Ghar and PM-KUSUM energy access schemes.
- Indian energy importers and consumers — Depend on diversified supply from 41 countries to withstand Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea disruptions.
- Business Council of Australia — Part of the delegation expected to discuss trade, investment, clean energy, education and technology in India.
- Commerce ministry (Piyush Goyal) — Tracks and expands bilateral trade, reported at $21.09 billion in 2025-26.
Why it matters
An external endorsement of India's energy-access record lands at a moment when energy security is central to India's agenda, with West Asia conflict and Red Sea disruptions threatening global supplies. It also signals momentum in India-Australia ties, spanning uranium exports, critical minerals, renewables and supply-chain resilience, at a bilateral trade level of $21.09 billion in 2025-26.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- Ujjwala scheme: over 10.5 crore LPG connections since 2016; Saubhagya: over 2.8 crore households electrified.
- PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana: world's largest domestic rooftop solar initiative; over 50 lakh households connected.
- PM-KUSUM promotes solar energy in agriculture; nearly 2.5 million farmers benefited.
- India expanded energy import sources from 27 to 41 countries over the past decade.
- Strait of Hormuz carries a fifth of the world's total energy trade.
- India-Australia bilateral trade: $21.09 billion in 2025-26 (Piyush Goyal); G'Day Namaste event expected in December.
Mains framing
India's energy strategy has combined a demand-side push for household access with a supply-side push for import diversification. On access, Ujjwala (over 10.5 crore LPG connections since 2016), Saubhagya (over 2.8 crore households electrified), PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (over 50 lakh rooftop solar households) and PM-KUSUM (nearly 2.5 million farmers) have together drawn external recognition, with Australian PM Albanese calling the scale unmatched in any decade in any country. On security, widening sourcing from 27 to 41 countries helped India, with a population of over 140 crore, absorb shocks from the Strait of Hormuz, which handles a fifth of global energy trade, the West Asia conflict and Red Sea disruptions, including turning to Australian LNG when Gulf supplies were scarce. The way forward lies in converting an "under-utilised" India-Australia partnership into concrete cooperation, as flagged in the July joint statement on reliable energy supplies, renewables, supply-chain resilience, electrification, Australian uranium exports for India's nuclear programme and critical minerals, with the December G'Day Namaste visit as the immediate test of delivery beyond the $21.09 billion trade baseline.
Key terms
- Ujjwala scheme
- Programme providing domestic cooking gas connections; over 10.5 crore given since 2016.
- Saubhagya scheme
- Household electrification programme that electrified over 2.8 crore rural and poor urban households.
- PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana
- World's largest domestic rooftop solar initiative; over 50 lakh households connected with solar energy.
- PM-KUSUM
- Scheme promoting solar energy in agriculture via solar-powered irrigation; nearly 2.5 million farmers benefited.
- Strait of Hormuz
- Chokepoint carrying a fifth of the world's total energy trade; disruptions there affect India's supplies.
- G'Day Namaste
- India-Australia event, expected in December, where trade, investment, clean energy, education and technology are to be discussed.
Practice questions
- Examine how India's twin strategy of household energy access schemes and import diversification has strengthened its energy security in a volatile global environment.
- Critically assess the statement that the India-Australia partnership remains 'under-utilised'. What areas identified in the July joint statement offer the greatest potential?
- Discuss the role of flagship schemes such as Ujjwala, Saubhagya, PM Surya Ghar and PM-KUSUM in advancing energy equity and the clean energy transition in India.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.