PM HAILS KANPUR WOMAN FOR ‘LIGHTING UP’ PEOPLE’S LIVES

Noor Jehan convinced villagers to use solar lamps as they were cheaper and safer

Living up to her name that means light of the world, Noor Jehan has been spreading light in at least 500 homes in Bairi Dariyaon and its neighbouring villages for the last 10 years. She found a mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann ki Baat on Sunday when he hailed her efforts for renting out solar lanterns for `100 per month to several villages without electricity in Kanpur Dehat.

Living up to her name that means light of the world, Noor Jehan has been spreading light in at least 500 homes in Bairi Dariya on and its neighbouring villages for the last 10 years.

She found a mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann ki Baat on Sunday when he hailed her efforts for renting out solar lanterns for `100 per month to several villages without electricity in Kanpur Dehat. A mother of seven who became a widow 25 years ago Noor Jehan said, ”Being uneducated I didn’t have a source of income to raise six daughters and a son. Like other women, I also faced great difficulty while cooking and completing the daily chores after sunset.”

“Since our village didn’t have electricity, children couldn’t study at night. Also, people avoided using kerosene lamps as they feared their houses could catch a fire,” she added.

She then came in contact in with Shramik Bharti, an NGO that was enlightening people about the power of solar energy as part of The Energy Research Intitute (TERI)’s project to distribute solar lamps in villages without electricity.

Trained by them, Noor Jehan proposed to distribute the solar lanterns in 50 houses of her village. “I convinced people to use solar lamps as they were cheaper and safer,” recalled Noor Jehan. However, the next big hurdle was how to charge these lamps.

After much deliberation, she formed a group with the help of TERI that helped her set up a solar power centre equipped with solar panels. She began to rent out the lanterns for `100 per month.

Every evening, villagers come to the centre to collect a charged lantern and return it in the morning. Out of the money that she earns, Noor Jehan deposits `1,700 in the centre for maintenance. She manages to save `4,000-`5,000 every month.

“I help my mother in her initiative that has not only changed the lives of people in this village but also in the neighbouring villagers,” said Shamshad Ahmed.

“These lights are also used to illuminate the area during small family functions. People pool in their lanterns on such occasions,” he said.