Schneider Electric Join Hands with InDiya Foundation

In a landmark initiative, Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, in partnership with Sachin Tendulkar’s Spreading Happiness InDiya Foundation (SHIF) brought Diwali to ace sprinter Hima Das’s hometown, Kandhulimari Village, Nagaon District, Assam. The two foundations installed solar home systems providing access to electricity to 71 households in the village. Under the same initiative, the company also digitized the village library by electrifying it through solar powered hybrid inverter and installing multimedia kit consisting of a television and DTH connection.

The government of India has the vision to provide power for all by 2022. With schemes like Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, the government plans to provide continuous power supply to rural India. This is a reiteration of the government’s commitment to energy access for the households which are off the grid. Spreading happiness InDiya Foundation is aligned with the government’s mission to provide access to energy to all. The Spreading Happiness initiative so far has provided solar lighting systems to around 21,400 households since its inception and is committed to reaching 25,000 by 2020.

Speaking on the work done in Assam, an elated Sachin Tendulkar said, “Hima Das is a powerhouse and has made India proud. As an acknowledgement of her achievements, at Spreading Happiness, we are happy to have brought the power of electrification to Hima’s village. I am happy that her village is part of our larger plan of bringing electricity to areas with otherwise erratic power or no electricity. At Spreading Happiness Foundation, we are humbled by the impact that this access has on life and livelihoods-we learnt this through the 21,400 households we have helped light up and look forward to reaching our goal of 25,000 households by 2020”.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Venkat Garimella, Vice President, Schneider Electric Strategy & Alliances, CSR & EE, said “We were humbled by Hima Das’s spirit and her contribution to the sporting history of India and we wanted to express our gratitude to her. We are hopeful that the advent of electricity in Hima’s village will go a long way in bringing in prosperity and development to Naogaon. In line with our endeavour to give back to the society and brighten the lives of people, we at Schneider Electric aim to transform the lives of rural India by providing solar solutions for safer and sustainable power. We are committed to helping citizens overcome the energy challenges faced especially in these areas.”

Schneider Electric India Foundation (SEIF) is a social commitment of Schneider Electric in India established in March 2008 under the aegis of Schneider Electric. The aim of the foundation is to help people change their lives through access to energy. It focuses on education, entrepreneurship, employment, electrification, and emergency. In the last 10 years, SEIF reached a milestone of transforming the lives of 700,000 households and benefitting 3.5 million people by providing latest tools, equipment and technical know-how in electrical maintenance, electrical technology and automated electrical systems. By electrifying Kandulimari Village in Assam, SEIF aims to bring forward those rural areas who are deprived of the basic need of access to electricity.