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Meghalaya rolls out solar power for schools, PMAY homes

Meghalaya rolls out solar power for schools, PMAY homes

Time of India15-07-2025
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Shillong: In a push for renewable energy expansion in Meghalaya, the Meghalaya New & Renewable Energy Development Agency (MNREDA) has started solar power installations at 63 BharatNet-1 sites across the state.
These installations span govt schools, integrated child development services centres (ICDS), and community halls, with an aim to ensure sustainable and reliable power for BharatNet infrastructure and enhance digital connectivity in rural areas.
According to the agency, solarisation is underway at 22 govt lower primary schools. Additional installations are in progress at eight secondary schools, four ICDS centres, and 29 community halls.
"Under the CM's solar mission, solarisation of 125 lower primary schools has begun in East Garo Hills district — covering 72 schools with 1.1 kVA systems and 53 schools with 2.2 kVA systems. A similar initiative is set to launch in East Jaintia Hills district, targeting 123 schools with the same system configuration," read a statement by the agency.
The agency also announced household electrification efforts under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Mylliem block of East Khasi Hills district, where hybrid solar inverter systems are being installed for 492 beneficiaries (352 with 0.85 kVA systems and 140 with 1.7 kVA systems). In North and East Garo Hills, installations will benefit 354 households (253 with 0.85 kVA and 101 with 1.7 kVA systems).
"These initiatives reflect the government's ongoing commitment to inclusive rural development through clean energy access, contributing to improved livelihoods and digital empowerment," the agency stated.
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However, as noted by art historian Molly Emma Aitken in her article, 'Dark, Overwhelming, yet Joyful: The Monsoon in Rajput Painting', 'the ceilings and walls of its Junagadh Fort burst with monsoon clouds and driving lines of rain, with white cranes flying across wall panels of monsoon black.' Here, monsoon was celebrated for being auspicious and bearing the promise of fertility. — An example is a 16th century folio from the Harivamsa showing Lord Krishna holding up Mount Govardhan to shelter the villagers of Braj. — Abhisarika Nayika, one of ancient Indian aesthetics' eight sorts of heroines, is a popular figure in monsoon art. In art, Abhisarika Nayika is portrayed as a bold woman walking into the stormy night to see her beloved. She is depicted as a pale person in a dark, wet, demon-infested night, unaware of the impediments in her path, including vipers entwined around her legs. The rain and lightning in these paintings represent a hurdle to love, as well as the heroine's bravery and devotion. — The classical Sanskrit poem, Meghaduta, by Kalidasa has lent itself as a theme to artists painting the monsoon. The poem tells the story of a yaksha who longs for his wife and uses a cloud as a messenger. In Kalidasa's poetic description, the beauty of the Himalayan landscape comes to life in the rainy season, with rivers flowing gracefully and elephants playing in the forests. — The monsoons continued to have a significantly more pervasive presence in 17th-century paintings of musical modes known as Ragamala paintings. This type of painting, which started in 17th-century Rajasthan, depicts variants of Indian musical modes or ragas. As a result, in these paintings, each raga is represented by a hue and a mood, as well as the season of the year or time of day when the raga is supposed to be sung. (Source: Painting the rain: How Indian art obsesses with the monsoons) Points to Ponder Read more about Indian Paintings Read more about Monsoon Related Previous Year Questions Why is the South-West Monsoon called 'Purvaiya' (easterly) in Bhojpur Region? How has this directional seasonal wind system influenced the cultured ethos of the region? (2023) What characteristics can be assigned to monsoon climate that succeeds in feeding more than 50 percent of the world population residing in Monsoon Asia? (2017) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 112) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 111) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 112) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 111) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 110) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 111) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.

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