‘Lighting up’ the Lives of the Poor

In India, a majority of rural households meet their energy requirements from traditional fuel sources, such as fuel wood, agricultural residues and kerosene. Statistics shows that 21 percent of villages and about 50 percent of rural households in the country are not yet electrified from the grid. For domestic lighting, 55 percent of rural households depend on electricity and another 44 percent on kerosene. The energy scarcity of rural India has serious implications both for the environment and for users. Meeting energy requirements through fuel wood has contributed to the heavy felling of trees and degradation of natural forest land. The onus of having to collect firewood from far off places has created a life of drudgery for the village women. Women in rural areas are known to spend up to five to six hours of their useful time during the day in fetching fuel wood and cooking.