By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, APRIL 15, 2018: THE Union Minister for State for Power, Mr R K Singh, yesterday launched a number of initiatives for the welfare of the underprivileged.

He expressed the Government’s commitment to provide 24*7 power supply to all. He said that every household in country will get electricity connection by December, 2018 under ‘Saubhagya’. Emphasising the importance of renewable energy for rural areas, the Minister said, “Off-grid solutions will empower the local women and provide a reliable source of electricity for school going children so they can study and progress well. Thus, it will help in integrating the deprived sections of society with the mainstream.”       
                                                                     
Of the several initiatives launched, he inaugurated Assembly & Distribution Centre for Solar Study Lamps at Mahuli village in Arrah. In this centre, local women Self Help Group (SHG) will assemble Solar Study Lamps and distribute them to underprivileged students who do not have access to electricity. Thus the Centre will not only provide kerosene-free affordable illumination to students, but also empower rural women with the skills to assemble, distribute and repair solar lamps.

This initiative is part of the Government of India’s scheme of providing 70 lakh Solar Study Lamps in five States where rural household electrification levels are low. In Bihar, the target is to provide more than 18.84 lakh underprivileged students with Solar Study Lamps. Around 4.57 lakh such lamps have already been distributed to students of the State.

The Minister also laid the foundation (remotely) for a solar photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturing plant in Sherghati block of Gaya district. This plant will be first of its kind in the State, and will be entirely owned and operated by local women Self Help Group Federations. For this purpose, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Bihar Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (BRLPS) - Jeevika, IIT-Bombay, and the Cluster Level Federation of women self-help group members.