Page 22 - Mann Ki Baat, October 2022
P. 22

Modhera: India’s first Surya Gram                                         Kunni Deori’s saga of Solar Empowerment


            In  a  first-of-its-kind  project   the Prime Minister that he has             Solar energy has become
        Prime Minister Modi declared the   made Modhera village even                   an alternate source of power
        sun-temple town of Modhera as      more famous in the country as               for many but for one resident of
        India’s  first  24x7  solar-powered   'Surya Gram'. Even if people have        Odisha, it has become her medium
        village. With the development      to spend Rs 50,000 or Rs 1,00,000           of employment and many others.
        of  Ground  Mounted Solar  power   they  should  install  solar  panels        Kunni Deori, from Karadapal
        plant and more than 1,300 Rooftop   because with these panels we               village of Kendujhar district of
        solar systems on residential       can use electricity comfortably             Odisha, is using solar energy to
        & Government buildings, the        and it also helps increase one’s            create job for many tribal women
        project demonstrates how India’s   savings.”                                   by training them to spin silk on a   work with two-in-one charkha
        renewable    energy    prowess         Another  resident,  Vipinbhai           solar-powered reeling machine.     machines, which could only be
        can  empower  people  at  the      Patel also shared his experience,               Our Doordarshan team got       operated if three people worked
        grassroots.                        “Our village has become quite               in touch with her to know more     together. If even one person was
            Doordarshan talked to the      famous   after  Prime  Minister             about her initiative.              less then the machine would not
        people of Modhera.                 Narendra Modi ji talked about                   Talking about her work, she    run. At the same time, Kunal Sir
            In his recent 'Mann ki Baat'   our village. People and celebrities         said, “Right now I have started CFC   of 'Resham Sutra' gave a demo
        Prime Minister Narendra Modi       from across the country and                 (Common Facility Center) where     of the Unnati Machine, which is a
        talked to Varsha Bai, a resident of   world come here. When Modi               50 girls work in one center and 80   solar silk machine, in our society.
        Modhera, about the development     ji  and  UN  Secretary  General  ji         girls in another. Here at Tusser Silk   The machine instantly caught our
        of the village through solar power.   came, our village was decorated          Park, we do a lot of activities from   attention because through this
        Varsha Bai says, “Earlier we used   extravagantly and their arrival            yarn extraction, weaving, reeling,   we  could  work  individually.  Here
        to be very careful about using     brought glory to our Modhera                designing and digital printing,    in  the  tribal  areas,  there is  not
        electricity at home, but today     village and the Sun Temple.”                from which we make sarees,         much electricity due to frequent
        we use electricity comfortably     Regarding his conversation with             dresses, jackets and many more     power cuts,  but  with  the  help  of
        because of the solar panels        the Prime Minister in ‘Mann ki              things.”                           solar power, we can use electricity
        installed in our house. We now     Baat’, he says, “When I got his call,           Kunni Deori has also been      round the clock. And being a small
        use electricity with a free mind.   I got very excited. I am very proud        awarded the National Award         machine, we could all work from
        My house has all the facilities like   to have spoken to Narendrabhai          and in 2017, she also received the   anywhere.”
        washing machine, AC, geyser and    Modi and I will remember this for           award from President Droupadi          'Resham   Sutra'  innovates
        we use all this without worrying   the rest of my life.”                       Murmu in a program held with the   renewable energy based rural
        about the electricity bill.”                                                   Kusumi people.                     livelihood  enabling  machines.
                                            Scan the QR code to know what
            While thanking the Prime                                                       Sharing her experience with    It helps in setting up high
                                            more Varsha Bai has to say
        Minister, Varsha Bai said, “I would                                            the solar powered machines,        productivity machines for rural
                                            about Modhera's solar energy-
        like to express my gratitude to     led development.                           she says, “Earlier we used to      silk yarn producers and textile
                                                                                                                          weavers.
                                                                                                                              Talking about the increasing
                                                                                                                          use of solar energy in India, Kunni
                                                                                                                          ji says, “Solar power panels are a
                                                                                                                          one-time expenditure because
                                                                                                                          the monthly electricity costs are
                                                                                                                          saved. Solar power is best for
                                                                                                                          remote areas and if it is used
                                                                                                                          in every house, there will be
                                                                                                                          electricity in all the houses at all
                                                                                                                          times.
                                                       Image for representational purpose
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