People before profit
IT IS unusual for an enterprise to put people before profit. But for Oorja Development Solutions Ltd this was the only way to end the chaos and confusion that ensued in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh after the Centre announced a nationwide lockdown.The Delhi-based clean energy services company works in rural areas with poor grid connection and uses decentralised solar-power systems to provide reliable and cheaper irrigation, cold storage and agroprocessing services to small and marginal farmers. "We have been working in this impoverished district for two years. A large number of people here work as informal labourers in cities. Remittances from them account for almost one-third of the household income and is particularly crucial for spending on farm inputs and labour ahead of the cropping seasons," says Preeti Kumari, project officer at Oorja.
But following the lockdown, they all returned home, without any work or money. By May, just ahead of the kharif season, some 20 per cent of the farmers reported that they have no savings to buy seeds and fertilisers. Oorja soon initiated a social media campaign and raised
1 lakh to provide farm inputs, masks and soaps to 100 worst affected families
A Delhi-based clean energy services firm provides solar power and irrigation facility, with flexible repayment option, to returning informal workers in Uttar Pradesh SNIGDHA DAS
in the villages of Sarvantara, Chetaipurwa, Basantpur and Sindhora. "We could also sense a growing reliance on agriculture. Since people were unable to leave their villages for work, they returned to fields," recalls Kumari.To ensure that these farmers do not resort to expensive and polluting diesel-based irrigation, Oorja expanded its service and deployed six 5 horsepower (hp) solar irrigation pumps and two 3 hp agroprocessing mills in five villages. It also changed its payment plan. Instead of asking the farmers to make an advance payment for the services, it allowed them to make the payment after selling their harvest.
Oorja members claim that the expansion has helped another 120 farmers with small landholdings. An assured and cheaper irrigation service has also encouraged some of them to try their hand at cash crops like peppermint. For the others, this expansion has generated employment in the village. One such is Ramchandra Arya from Sarvantara, who used to work as a labourer in Nepal. Along with growing peppermint, he now works as a pump operator with Oorja to run the three solar-powered motors installed in his village. He has no plan of migrating again.