Solar lamps prepared by Jharkhand SHG women for sale on Amazon
RANCHI: Ranchi ki Roshni -- the indigenous solar lamps assembled by the self-help group (SHGs) women in Ranchi are now available on Amazon for sale.
The project was launched in 2018 as part of a skilling and livelihood mission wherein women SHGs were trained to make LED solar lamps under the scheme ‘Ranchi ki Roshni’.
All the profits earned from the sales will go to the 15 SHG women, currently engaged in the production of these portable solar lamps to solve the problem of uneven power cuts in rural Jharkhand. A full-fledged workshop has been set up at Ormanjhi Block Office, where these solar lamps are prepared by SHG women.
“As the solar lamps are now listed for sale on Amazon, this platform will give recognition to these women who have worked hard during these uncertain times to ensure production of these lamps,” said Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Chhavi Ranjan. All the profits earned from the sales will go to the 15 SHG women involved in its production, he added.
The Deputy Commissioner appealed to people to purchase solar lamps and support these hard-working SHG women. He also asked people to write a review if they are satisfied with the product.
Interestingly, everything, right from soldering, assembling, and packaging is done by 15 SHG women, engaged in the project.
According to Block Project Manager, Mukesh Sinha, the project was started in 2018, where the SHG women were selected and trained in manufacturing these lamps by the district administration, out of which they are earning around Rs 8500-10000 every month. Besides salary, these women are also paid incentives as per their output, he added.
“This is only such center in the country, which has been set up in Ranchi’s Ormanjhi, to generate livelihood among SHG women. This initiative was also mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann ki Baat,” said Sinha. The project is being run by Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) in association with Ranchi District Administration sustained through CSR funds of IOCL and HPCL, he added.
Notably, the concept was originally inspired by ‘Liter of Light’ conceptualized by My Shelter Foundation for providing the poor a cheap source of lighting. Recycled plastic bottles filled with water and a bit of bleach are fitted into the roof to provide lighting during the day.
Later, it was found that though the innovation served well during the day, it was more important to have illumination in the house during the night. Hence, a modified version, ‘Light of Liter 2.0’, was created by attaching a battery and a solar panel, making it suitable as portable room light for use at night by a group of IITians while pursuing an internship with the district administration for providing a cheap source of lighting for the poor. Later, the project was named ‘Ranchi ki Roshni.’
These 15 SHG women so far have produced more than one lakh solar lamps supplying them to different states and organizations, More than 250 such units are being produced every day by these SHG women. Recently an MoU was also signed with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), India's premier agency for rescue missions at the time of natural and manmade disasters, for supplying 40,000 lamps.
“Besides providing a source of livelihood, this project has also helped us in giving a sense of confidence among us,” said an SHG woman Rita Devi engaged with this project. She is earning at least Rs 8500 every month after she was engaged with this project, she added.