Bengaluru: According to a report, Karnataka stands second among the south Indian States under the Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP), with over eight lakh bulbs having been sold. The total number of LED bulbs sold in the country under the programme has touched the 5-crore mark.

Andhra Pradesh, with over 1.49 crore LED bulbs, stood unbeaten. The other States with big sales as on Thursday were Maharashtra (79.4 lakh) and Rajasthan (69.77 lakh).

Within Karnataka, over five lakh bulbs were sold in Mysuru under Hosa Belaku scheme which was launched in December, beating capital city Bengaluru.

“We have set up counters at Cubbon Park and Lalbagh as well. There is also a plan to start selling them through meter readers,” said a Bescom official. The target for Bescom is to distribute 2.96 crore LEDs, while the State’s target is 6 crore. LED bulbs are being sold for Rs. 10 in the State.

The DELP scheme is expected to save energy, avoid peak load, as well as reduce emission of carbon dioxide.