CHIRAG RURAL DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

Spreading Light, Transforming Lives

With no electricity, the one-room mud shelter 200-odd kilometres away from the bustling
metropolis Mumbai has only a kerosene lamp for light – a sight so commonly seen in rural
India where power remains unaffordable, inadequate, or simply non-existent for around 200
million people. Chirag Rural Development Foundation, under its flagship Project Chirag, has
been providing solar electrification in dark villages across 9 states, namely Maharashtra,
Rajasthan, U.P., Karnataka, Meghalaya, Assam, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh & Uttarakhand since
2010.
While Project Chirag looks mainly at providing home lighting solutions for scattered houses
that are not connected to the grid, along our journey of providing home lighting solutions we
found that to truly catapult villagers out of poverty, they would need support in education,
health and livelihoods, and we are now engaged in Integrated solar solutions for sustainable
village development.

Our Objective
Solar energy which is available in abundance in India is used as a pivot around which rural
transformation can take place by impacting homes, education, health, social security and
livelihoods while simultaneously empowering villagers to make this change sustainable. The
end goal is to see a positive change in the development indicators.

Our Approach
Our team conducts assessments and meetings with various stakeholders to understand what
type of solutions work best in remote villages without electricity. Several leading practitioners
have been consulted as a part of the process and technology solutions have been devised.
• Identifying grass root partners: Project Chirag works with grass root level NGOs in India and
leverages their on-ground presence and connect in order to make the process of village
identification & needs assessment quick and efficient.
• Understanding Community Needs: Each rural household in India has an average of 5-7
family members. There are several out of-home activities like catering to sanitation

E12A, Commerce Centre, Tardeo, Mumbai, 400 034 Tel: 022 23520759 | Email: [email protected]
requirements, collection of water early in the morning or late evening, surveying agricultural
fields after dark or reaching out to medical facilities in case of health emergencies. In addition,
some villages have a water source nearby, while others do not and so would need livelihood
options beyond agriculture. Team Chirag after detailed discussions with villagers designs
intervention options suited to the village.
• A Qualitative Approach: After understanding the community needs, Project Chirag
develops solutions to meet the unique requirements of each village/area, with the aim of
empowering the community in a sustainable manner. Agriculture being the mainstay of
villagers, wherever possible, efforts are made to provide solar support for water lifting so as
to empower villagers to continue agricultural activities even during non-monsoon seasons. In
other cases, non-farming activities are supported by solar power to enable villagers to earn a
livelihood. These interventions have the very important added advantage of preventing
migration post monsoons.
• Monitoring Mechanism & Measurability of Outcome: Partnership with the local NGO which
is already carrying out other developmental work in the area ensures capabilities to monitor
the impact on a long term. An impact assessment survey is carried out periodically by our
team to measure the outcome of the intervention.
• Sustainability of the Project:
All our projects aim at providing a solution that is not only durable, safe and affordable but
also one that is continuously available. The project is self-sustainable as it involves an income
generating component. Project Chirag is about lighting up rural lives using a clean and
sustainable energy source. In a country like India, where sunlight is available for almost 300
days in the year, solar energy is one of the most viable and sustainable resources available to
us today. Villagers are trained in maintenance of equipment provided and from their
increased earnings, encouraged to put aside a small sum to take care of any future needs to
replace or upgrade systems.

Expected Benefits
• More productive hours at home and outside with solar lights
• Children able to study at home with solar support
• Solar powered classrooms are more comfortable & more engaging with e-learning
• Streetlights and portable lanterns make life more secure outside homes post sunset
• Pure drinking water supply leads to better health
• Moving away from kerosene usage improves health & the environment

E12A, Commerce Centre, Tardeo, Mumbai, 400 034 Tel: 022 23520759 | Email: [email protected]
 • Solar mini grids provide livelihood options to villagers, thereby preventing migration
post monsoon
• Village industry & Agri-based industry gets a power boost
• Year-round farming and multi-cropping help villagers to also improve their dietary
intake and thereby impacts health
• A greener India

Where We Are Now

Chirag Rural Development Foundation has a large part of its work in Maharashtra.
However, we have provided solar solutions in Rajasthan, U.P., Karnataka, Meghalaya,
Assam, Uttarakhand, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh as well. In each of these states we
continue to work with local grass root partners. Our impact till November 25, 2019 has
been – 448 villages in 9 states, having touched more than 1,02,000 lives. And along with
our corporate partners, we encourage urban youth to join us on our mission of light for
all. So far more than 10,000 youth from schools and colleges have been a part of this
journey and we are very grateful to them.

E12A, Commerce Centre, Tardeo, Mumbai, 400 034 Tel: 022 23520759 | Email: [email protected]
 An Example from the Field
Baldyachapada is a tribal village in Mokhada taluka, Palghar. With a rough, mountainous
terrain villagers travelled 2-3 kms multiple times daily to fetch water from a perennial
river below. The entire village depended on one well which went dry by January each year.
Rain-dependent subsistence farming added to their woes and majority of the villagers
migrated post monsoons. Chirag Rural Development Foundation with corporate support,
installed a 10KW solar grid that pulled water up for irrigation & domestic use, installed
solar powered equipment in all homes and the school, and also installed a water filter in
the village. The result was truly transformational!

Transformed Landscape @
Baldyachapada - Mokhada

E12A, Commerce Centre, Tardeo, Mumbai, 400 034 Tel: 022 23520759 | Email: [email protected]
 Native to Baldyachapada, Naushu Balu Pakhane is head of a family of eight. Earlier he and
his wife would go to Girnar to work as construction workers for 7 months each year. A
meagre wage, irregular work and staying away from the family was taking its toll. After
installation of the solar irrigation system, Naushu states “We now grow groundnuts and
jowar and earn well from this produce. My wife walked 10 kms to procure kerosene each
month – spending around Rs.100 monthly for 3 litres, and all at home inhaled the fumes
of the lamps. Now, with the solar home lights, we have brighter light and cleaner homes.
An added advantage, we now get pure drinking water too!”

Wife-Dwaraka Bai &

Daughter

His eldest daughter Pratibha says she is happy and secure now that her parents don’t
migrate after the monsoons. She being the eldest among 4 siblings had to look after the
younger ones and also care for the grandparents once the parents migrated in search of
jobs. Obviously trying to juggle household responsibilities with studies became an arduous
task, affecting her school performance.
Little sister Lalita who studies at the ZP School finds classes more interesting with the
solar-supported e-learning modules and the more comfortable classrooms with solar
lights and fan.
His wife Dwaraka & daughter-in-law Jaana now get more time on the fields as they have
solar lights to perform household chores even post dusk.

E12A, Commerce Centre, Tardeo, Mumbai, 400 034 Tel: 022 23520759 | Email: [email protected]
 All in all, a happier family in a greener environment.

Sustainable Development Goals

Chirag Rural Development Foundation strongly supports the delineated Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). We strive to improve lives in line with our purpose and are
committed to the needs of our stakeholders and our planet and thus embrace sustainable
solutions thereby ensuring we carry out our business responsibly. We have selected focus
SDGs that reflect our responsibility and maximum impact on solving sustainable
development challenges. They include: No Poverty, Good Health and Well Being, Quality
Education, Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy and Partnership for
the Goals.

E12A, Commerce Centre, Tardeo, Mumbai, 400 034 Tel: 022 23520759 | Email: [email protected]
Registration & Compliance Details
• NGO Registration Number under Section 25 of Companies Act India
Registration No.: U85100MH2011NPL225489
Valid from 28th December, 2011
• Registration Number under Section 12A(A) of Income Tax Act
Registration No.: 45324
Valid from 28th December, 2011
• Registration under Section 80G
Registration No.: Order No. DIT (E)/MC/80G/275/2013-14
Valid from 1st April, 2013
• PAN (Permanent Account Number)
Registration No.: AAECC7081N Granted on 28/09/2011
• TAN (Tax Deducted and Collection Account Number) - MUMC18877F
• FCRA Registration - Registration No.: 083781508 Granted on 25/04/2016

E12A, Commerce Centre, Tardeo, Mumbai, 400 034 Tel: 022 23520759 | Email: [email protected]