By Business India Editorial

Schneider Electric believes that ‘Access to Energy’ is a fundamental human right and it wants everyone on the planet to have access to reliable, safe, efficient, and sustainable energy. With this vision, the company is running several programmes to empower people from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, both in the rural and urban milieu, for inclusive growth. 

Energy is the underlying theme for all its initiatives’ focus areas that the company calls the ‘6 Es’, which are – Employment, Entrepreneurship, Electrification, Education, Environment and Emergency. Working on these areas the company’s Foundations reaches 26 states in India, ensuring ‘Life is On’ for approximately 4.5 lakh beneficiaries. 

Through various solar-based solutions of micro-grids, solar home systems and portable solar lanterns, Schneider has been able to reach more than 45,000 households in about 900 villages, improving the lives of more than 2 lakh beneficiaries. It has also extended its solar interventions for community-based services such as schools, primary health centres, streetlights, and community resource centres. 

Solar irrigation pumps Schneider Electric India Foundation’s ‘Energy for Sustainable Livelihood’ initiative was started in economically backward districts (90 per cent of which are aspirational districts) of India with an objective to double the income of small and marginal women farmers by providing assured irrigation for two/three crops through solar irrigation pumps with community managed sustainable operational model to bring forth food security, improve agricultural practices and reduce migration. SEIF has supported the installation of 250+ solar water pumps (SWPs) in project villages to enhance access to irrigation benefitting 5,000+ farmers. 

Among the beneficiaries of the project, the case of Priska Bada is inspiring for a large number of women in Gumla Block of Jharkhand. Priska is from village Khora Toli, situated about 14 km from the district town of Gumla. Priska is aged 40 years and has two daughters aged 14 and 17 years. Priska’s family owned about 2.5 acres of land that was cultivated once a year during the rainy season.

Farming was mostly about growing paddy through conventional methods. Some parts of the land were spared for growing black gram and finger millets. The harvest was barely sufficient to meet the food requirement of the family for 6-months. Priska and her husband were compelled to migrate to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to work in brick kilns for 4-6 months every year to support their family. 

The change started when Priska along with 12 other women in her hamlet were supported by SEIF and implementation partner, PRADAN to form Self-Help-Groups under NRLM. For the first time Priska experienced the real power of collectives. They actively took part in village development plan under Yojna Banao Abhiyan of MGNREGA.

The district administration considered their plan and provided financial support under MGNREGA and other schemes to help the women raise 10 acres of mango plantation. Priska took a loan from her SHG to release a part of their land that was mortgaged to a moneylender and planted mango. She received training on improved farming practices and was taken for an exposure visit to a production cluster to see women growing various crops on commercial lines.