Silent solar revolution brewing in a quiet village of Nalgonda dist
In the heart of Telangana's Nalgonda district, Aitipamula village is now making national headlines — not for protests or problems, but for pioneering a women-led clean energy revolution.
With 50 women, Rs 50 lakh in seed funding, and a vision rooted in empowerment, the Komatireddy Prateek Foundation has quietly scripted a success story that bridges rural resilience with renewable energy. The 'Swachha Shakti Off-Grid Cooperative Solar Battery Unit', launched recently in collaboration with Swabags Labs, is a first-of-its-kind initiative in India where rural women, most of them homemakers and self-help group members, are managing and benefiting from solar battery units — from the comfort of their homes.
Each woman was earning Rs 2,000+ per month, credited directly to her bank account. There's no physical labour, no technical complexity, and no middlemen. The solar units installed are low-maintenance, with a battery life of over 10 years and a cycle capacity of 3,000 charges — making them both sustainable and profitable. Lakshmi, one of the beneficiaries, says she never imagined something like this would be possible in her village. 'We thought solar was for big companies and cities. Today, I have a unit under my name. I don't have to leave home, yet I get money every month. This gives me confidence and dignity,' she says, her eyes lighting up with the same energy that powers her village.
Minister for Roads, Buildings & Cinematography Komatireddy Venkata Reddy — who also heads the Komatireddy Prateek Foundation — calls this initiative 'a movement of light and liberation.' He said that solar energy is not just a clean energy alternative — it's becoming the most economically viable source of power. India's solar potential is massive, and tapping it via decentralized units like these reduces transmission loss, ensures energy democracy, and opens doors to income for communities that were previously disconnected from both grids and growth.
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