A Goan village gets solar lighting kits

Rotary Club of Panaji Riviera, RID 3170, gifted 16 units of solar home lighting kits to the residents of Keri, a tribal settlement in Cotigao village panchayat on a hill in Goa.It has 15 tribal huts comprising 120 residents, and one has to walk 5 km up a difficult, steep terrain.

Led by club president Ryan Costa and secretary Tanvi Sawant, a group of five Rotarians (including an Ann) visited the tribal community and donated solar lighting kits comprising three bulbs, a torch and a charger. The total cost was ₹33,600. Once fully charged with the solar panel, the system can work up to four hours. The panel will take six hours to charge fully.

“The hamlet was deprived of electricity, water, road, transport facilities for long, and alienated from the rest of the taluk,” says Ajay Menon, assistant governor, RID 3170. One of the club’s annual goals is electrification of a remote village and as a “temporary measure, we have donated the solar lighting kits to the villagers,”

Going forward, the club will be adopting this village and provide solar lighting on a large scale as a permanent solution for electricity woes.