Rays of change

From dark nights to uninterrupted electricity, rooftop solar has brought independence, health and prosperity to a Maharashtra village

- By HIMANSHU NITNAWARE SHELKEWADI, MAHARASHTRA

IN SHELKEWADI, a small village in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district, the nights are no longer dark. All the houses in the village are powered by rooftop solar panels, streetlights run on clean energy and farmers irrigate their fields without waiting for erratic grid supply. For the 1,000-odd residents here, the sun has brought more than energy—it has brought independence.

“Cities are becoming unliveable with increased air pollution levels,” says Surekha Avad, the village’s gram sevak (panchayat secretary). “Here we have set an example for a clean life,” she adds.

Necessity sparked Shelkewadi’s journey to complete solar electrification. When the village was carved out of a larger panchayat in 1999, it struggled to raise funds. “It was a village with 300 residents and it was difficult to arrange funds and earn revenue to carry out any developmental work,” says J K Shelke, former sarpanch who started the process of shifting to renewables. Even today, with an annual revenue of just ₹6 lakh, the village depends on government schemes for essential services like cleanliness, waste management, and tree plantation.