A STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF RURAL ELECTRIFICATION IN BAGO REGION (CASE STUDY: INTAGAW TOWNSHIP)

A study on the effects of rural electrification in the Bago Region is conducted with the aim to investigate the changes in daily lifestyle among rural households after access to electricity. A quantitative case study research design with a face-to-face interview is used for this study. The structured questionnaires are used to collect data about the current rural electrification via 150 households taken as samples from three selected villages in Intagaw Township at Bago Region. According to the findings of the study, access to electricity has resulted that there is an agreement of respondents to the improvement in education, health, and income. The households get extra time due to the facilitation in doing their daily routine tasks by using electronic devices, and they can use that extra time in doing other works, or praying, or enjoying the entertainment with their family members. But the effect of electrification is inefficient because they are reluctant to take the risk of running their own business by taking advantage of electricity. Moreover, the perception of the respondents on the improvement in the provision of public services such as transportation networks and security related to the electrification is also low. All of the selected three villages experienced the positive effects of rural electrification, despite the additional income generated from new occupations that resulted from access to electricity is still low