Solar energy lights up village on city outskirts

The inhabitants of Shivajinagar -- located along the Pune-Bangalore Highway -- among a group of 40 villages located about 20 km from Pune...

The inhabitants of Shivajinagar — located along the Pune-Bangalore Highway — among a group of 40 villages located about 20 km from Pune,were supplied with solar lamps as part of a model village project that spans five years. The Art of Living Foundation in collaboration with project Dharma is facilitating this project.

Through their geographic proximity,the inhabitants of these villages have cultural and societal commonalities,as well as share some facilities for health and education. A majority of the inhabitants of these villages depend on agriculture as their sole source of income.

Our objective is to give back to society in such a way that needs of the weaker sections are responded to and improvements made in the quality of their lives. All the projects we partner with,address the fundamental domains of environment,health and education, said Pravin Agrawal,director,Sterlite Technologies,who is partnering with the Art of Living Foundation.

The model village concepts involve a five key points- developing homes,building of facilities to promote hygiene,undertaking health awareness initiatives,instilling human values and facilitating harmony within the Model Village. To enable the progress of the community there is a need to facilitate sustainable development on an infrastructural level,economically empower the youth and women of the villages and improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of the villages, said Agarwal. Since the initiation of the project in October 2009 several schemes have already been initiated like village cleanliness campaign,tree plantation drive,empowerment of women through vocational training,training program in youth leadership among others.

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