CM launches solar study lamp project in South West Garo Hills District

SHILLONG, SEPT 11: With the objective of providing affordable, safe and clean source of light to rural students and livelihood opportunities to the local communities, the Solar Study Lamp Project was launched by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma in the presence of local MLA Miani D. Shira at Betasing C&RD Block in South West Garo Hills on Tuesday.

The project is a joint venture of the Solar Urja Through Localisation for Sustainability (SoULS), IIT Bombay and Meghalaya State Rural Livelihood Society (MSRLS) under NRLM and is being implemented for the first time in Meghalaya at Betasing Block under the initiative of South West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Ramkumar S.

Under this project, 12 selected women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are being trained in assembling and management of solar study lamps by the team from IIT Bombay in collaboration with District Mission Management Unit (DMMU), South West Garo Hills.  The assembled lamps would be distributed to school children at a subsidized rate of Rs.100 per unit and three-fourth of the proceeds would go to the SHGs as seed money. Altogether 18000 solar study lamps will be assembled by these SHGs during the training programme.

Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma congratulated the team of MSRLS and IIT Bombay for successfully implementing the project which would bring about a difference in the education of rural students and benefit the local women SHGs.

He highlighted the difficulties faced by the students in the rural areas where power supply is irregular that they have to depend on kerosene lamps to study at night which is unsafe and unhealthy. He said that the specialities of this project is that these lamps would be now available locally without having to import the products from outside, the lamps are being assembled by the mothers themselves who understand the importance of light for their children’s study and it will provide opportunities for livelihood by starting their own enterprises.  It is a proud moment that our own people are assembling the products which can be tagged as Made in Meghalaya, he said.  Such programmes will ensure that we are not job seekers but job providers, he added and urged upon the mothers and youth should take advantage of the programme to address the issue of unemployment and promote the spirit of entrepreneurship.

The Chief Minister along with local MLA Miani D. Shira also distributed the assembled solar lamps to a few selected students on the occasion.

Stating that the biggest challenge for the government is providing employment, the local MLA expressed her happiness that many SHGs mostly women and mothers were being involved in the project which would benefit them greatly. She also appreciated that such a programme has been initiated for overall socio-economic growth of the people, particularly SHGs in the rural areas.

Principal Investigator of the Project, Prof. Jayendran Venkateswaran of IIT Bombay, said that the main objective of the project is to provide the students with clean solar energy and promote entrepreneurship among the SHGs through proper training and handholding for sustained livelihood.

Deputy Commissioner Ramkumar S, who is continuously monitoring the training programme, highlighted the background of the project and requested the Chief Minister to look at the possibility of extending the programme to the entire State of Meghalaya. “For the first time in their lives, the womenfolk are being empowered to handle something technical as such and you can see the joy in them which is priceless”, he said.

By Our Reporter