Until 2014, 90% of villages in India did not have electricity?

checkthis · automated fact-check · How we check

The claim that 90% of Indian villages lacked electricity until 2014 is false. Official records demonstrate that approximately 97% of census villages were already connected to the power grid by May 2014.

5 claims checked
2 sources
Checked 20 Oct 2026
Main source: Times of India

The post we checked

Message to GenZ! Btw, Thank you @narendramodi ji for everything 🪷🇮🇳❤️🔱🚩

The trick: Exaggerates

It inflates the facts beyond what the evidence shows (known as exaggeration).

“Until 2014, 90% of villages in India did not have electricity.”

The video invents extreme numbers, such as 90% of villages lacking electricity, when official records show only about 3% were unelectrified in 2014.

How this trick works and how to answer it →

What we checked

Until 2014, 90% of villages in India did not have electricity.“As many as 18,452 villages were without electricity when the BJP-led government came to power in May 2014. Today, all of the country's 5,97,464 census villages have been electrified.”Times of India

Narendra Modi had to build toilets after 70 years of Congress rule because of poor governance by Congress.No reliable source found for this yet.

80% of India's population did not own vehicles before 2014.No reliable source found for this yet.

Before 2014, people in India watched cricket on black-and-white television sets powered by rented batteries.No reliable source found for this yet.

80% of India's population had never heard of pizza or burgers before the Modi government.No reliable source found for this yet.

What each side says

Congress partyCongress attributes development and poverty reduction to its 1991 economic reforms and subsequent welfare interventions. ThePrint

Narendra Modi governmentThe government states that its targeted welfare schemes and economic reforms have driven inclusive development and poverty reduction. ThePrint

Short version

❌ FALSE 👉 The claim that 90% of Indian villages lacked electricity until 2014 is false. 👉 Official records demonstrate that approximately 97% of census villages were already connected to the power grid by May 2014. 🎭 Trick: Exaggerates 📰 Source: Times of India 🔎 Full check: send this post to @checkthis.chat