For nearly two decades, two families of migrant workers from Badami in Bagalkot district lived in the dark and used only lanterns in their small houses at Sagri, here.
But for the last few weeks, the darkness in the two houses has vanished. They now enjoy the brightness of two solar lamps in both their houses.
However, none are more thrilled than 10-year-old Ganesh and six-year-old Kamalakshi, children of migrant workers, Lenkappa and Shanthavva Valekar, and their seven-year-old cousin Praveen, son of Srikanth and Renuka Valekar, who live in the next house.
All this, thanks to the ‘Vidyarathigalige Mane Belaku Yojane’ (Lighting Scheme for Students’ Houses) of Karnataka Bank Ltd. in association with the NGO, Bharatiya Vikas Trust (BVT) and SELCO Foundation.
Under the scheme launched last November, each house is provided with two solar lamps, which costs Rs. 9,500. “Of this Rs. 9,500, our bank gives financial assistance of Rs. 5,000, the BVT and SELCO Foundation give Rs. 500, while the beneficiary bears the rest of Rs. 4,000,” said M. Mahabaleshwar Bhat, Chief General Manager of the bank.
“We wanted the beneficiaries to bear Rs. 4,000 as anything given free has no value. Now beneficiaries will feel responsible for the solar equipment,” said K.M. Udupa, Managing Trustee, BVT.
To identify students having no lamps in their houses, the BVT contacted teachers and headmasters of government schools, who gleaned out the information from the students.
The bank has provided two solar lamps each with a solar panel and a battery, to 100 such houses in Udupi district, mostly in rural areas. The installation and maintenance of solar lamps is done by the personnel of the SELCO Foundation, run by Magsaysay award winner, Harish Hande.
Ganesh, class 5 student of Government Higher Primary School, Sagri, said that earlier he used to study for about an hour. “Now I study for two hours and sometimes till 10 p.m. I want to be an engineer,” he said.
Praveen, class 2 student at the same school, said that he enjoyed studying in the brightness of solar lamp. Mr. Lenkappa said that the solar lamps had been effective and were providing bright light for over 12 hours.
