Ray of light: 30 villages will start receiving solar power by the end of March. PHOTO: FILE
FAISALABAD:
A project named ‘Lighting a Million Lives’ has provided solar electricity for six villages in Sahiwal district of Punjab and its objective is to reach 4,000 villages in the next four years in an effort to positively impact lives of one million people.
This is a campaign that seeks to help those living at the bottom of the pyramid and also an effort to inspire a sense of duty and commitment among thriving posh areas to poorer parts the country, which will narrow the difference between standards of living between the two societies, organisers say.
Buksh Foundation in collaboration with TERI (The Energy and Resource Institute), India is running the project, which it says is progressing towards success in a short span of time.
“Corporations as big as Coca-Cola Foundation, Bank Alfalah, Engro Corporation and Zong are stepping forward and becoming part of this campaign. Each of these has pledged funds for providing access to solar energy in villages selected for the project,” said Javed Iqbal, Information Officer of Buksh Foundation while talking to The Express Tribune.
With more organisations joining in, he said, the project was rapidly picking up pace and would cover more than 30 villages by the end of March, giving a brighter start to the year to more than 7,500 people.
Iqbal believed that the project with its simple model of solar lanterns would be viewed as a ray of light in the darkness prevailing in scores of villages. It provides a platform by bringing governments, corporations, non-government organisations, civil societies and individuals together to become part of a campaign which will light a million lives.
According to estimates of the United Nations, 96.6% of rural households have no electricity while 38% of the entire population has no access to energy.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 3rd, 2013.
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This is baby stuff. The government should announce subsidy so that all and sundry move to Solar. This will take the load away from the grid. Once the government announces subsidy solar will spread very rapidly reducing the burden on the state to provide power. People will be self sufficient in power.