This remote village in Karnataka is the first solar-powered village in India
- Amasebail village in Kundapur taluk is now 100 per cent solar-powered
- The village has set an another example of public-private partnership
FollowNestled in Western Ghats, Amasebail in Kundapur taluk of Udupi district was once considered backward. The village was hit by naxal menace and no development programmes reached here. But this non-descript village can now shake off the tag "backward" as Amasebail is the first village in the country to become solar-powered village.
As many as 1,497 houses are now self-sufficient with solar power. This has been made possible with the Amasebail Charitable Trust, Karnataka Bank, Mangaluru, Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project, Udupi district administration and Kundapur taluk panchayat at a cost of Rs 2.13 crore. Of this, Rs 1.39 crore was provided by the Union and state governments, the trust collected Rs 81 lakh from beneificiaries.
Till a few years ago, the residents in the village cursed their fate as there was no regular power supply. Children could not study after sunset. Besides, naxal menace had gripped the village. But today, the picture is completely different. The project was conceptualised five years ago. Today, the entire gram panchayat produces 60 units of solar power per day.
The solar products have been given a five-year guarantee and six-month service.
The village’s success story is also a reminder about how government agencies and private organisations can do wonders, if worked in tandem. Instead of complaining about lack of development and no help, the Amasebail Charitable Trust has set another example for effective private-public partnership for better India.
