Before the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (Saubhagya) for universal household electrification, eight States had already achieved more than 99 percent household electrification. Which one of the following was not among those States?

Introduction / Context:
The Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana, popularly known as Saubhagya, is a flagship Government scheme aimed at achieving universal household electrification in India. Prior to its launch, some States had already achieved near universal household electrification, with more than 99 percent of households having connectivity. This question asks you to identify which State was not part of that group of eight high performing States.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- Saubhagya focuses on providing electricity connections to all willing households in rural and urban areas.- Eight States had more than 99 percent household electrification before Saubhagya was announced.- Among the options, Kerala, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are listed; one was not in that high electrification group at that stage.

Concept / Approach:
Historically, smaller and relatively more developed States like Kerala, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh had already achieved near universal household electrification due to earlier investments in power infrastructure and relatively better governance indicators. Larger States with more rural and remote populations, such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and some eastern States, generally lagged behind in household electrification percentages, which is why they were major beneficiaries of Saubhagya. By recognising this pattern, we can identify the State that was not part of the list of eight States with more than 99 percent household electrification.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Kerala has long had a strong performance in social and infrastructure indicators, including household electrification; it is very likely to have crossed 99 percent before Saubhagya.Step 2: Punjab is a relatively prosperous State with extensive rural electrification for agriculture and households, making it a strong candidate for being among the early achievers.Step 3: Himachal Pradesh, being a small hill State with focused development programmes, is also known for high levels of electrification and was widely reported as having near universal coverage.Step 4: Madhya Pradesh is a large central Indian State with significant rural and tribal populations that historically faced infrastructure gaps, including in household electrification. It required additional support through schemes like Saubhagya.Step 5: Therefore, Madhya Pradesh is the State that was not among the eight States with more than 99 percent household electrification prior to the launch of Saubhagya.

Verification / Alternative check:
A simple verification is to remember commonly reported lists of early achiever States, which usually include small or relatively advanced States like Gujarat, Punjab, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and a few north eastern States, rather than large central or eastern States such as Madhya Pradesh or Bihar. This pattern reinforces that Madhya Pradesh was still catching up at the time of the scheme's launch.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A (Kerala) is wrong as the answer because Kerala was among the States that had achieved very high levels of household electrification before Saubhagya.Option B (Punjab) is wrong because Punjab had almost complete rural and urban electrification and is consistently placed among better performing States in power supply.Option C (Himachal Pradesh) is wrong because Himachal Pradesh was widely recognised for its near universal household electrification status and reliable power supply.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes confuse generation capacity with household coverage. A State may generate a lot of power but still have unconnected households, or vice versa. Another mistake is to assume that geographically smaller States always lag behind big ones, when in fact smaller States often achieve near universal coverage earlier. Keeping track of which States are usually cited as models in government reports can help you answer such questions accurately.

Final Answer:
Correct answer: Madhya Pradesh