Providing Renewable Energy for Home Lighting in Remote Villages of Jharkhand

Oxfam India has been working with Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers in Jharkhand on the implementation of Forest Rights Act 2006, since 2012. Almost all the villages in Jharkhand – in the Oxfam India-Naya Savera Vikas Kendra project area – have now submitted their claims for forest rights and thus, it became imperative to look at other aspects that can strengthen forest-based livelihoods. The assessment identified lack of access to sustainable and quality energy for cooking, lighting, and livelihood. In this view, Oxfam India piloted domestic solar lighting project in three remote villages in Jharkhand. And the results are remarkable.