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Dr Sanjay Jaiswal, Convener of the Indian Climate Parliament Network and MP from the state of Bihar has successfully implemented a comprehensive electrification programme in his constituency of West Champaran. 50 villages are in the process of being electrified with solar power. This initiative aims to complement the Indian government’s vision of enriching rural livelihoods by providing reliable electricity to every household.
Providing power to the area has been a major challenge as many of these villages are flood prone and can only be reached by a boat across the Gandak River, making it impossible to connect to the main grid. Four years ago, Dr Jaiswal met with senior officials at leading consulting firm Deloitte. The firm was commissioned to plug the power gaps in the supply chain and light up the villages in West Champaran. During his recent visit to the district, the MP observed that the project is in full swing. Power systems are being installed and he saw as many as 14 households with a battery capacity of 72KVA. The construction arm of Indian multinational firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has been awarded the work for completing the off-grid electrification. It is estimated that all the villages will be electrified by December 25, 2018.
Nearly 8000 villagers living in isolated communities within this region will benefit from this initiative. According to the MP, the electrification of these villages will have a wide-ranging effect on the living conditions of households whose daily lives will be made easier on a range of fronts. The villagers living in the area didn't have any hope that they would ever receive any electricity. As an elected representative of his constituency, Dr Jaiswal said he feels immensely satisfied about being able to serve his people and contribute towards their future development. He mentioned that his achievements have been a direct result of his long association with the Climate Parliament and the organisation’s endeavour to provide universal access to electricity through small-scale renewables.
