The Mon District Administration, Government of Nagaland and Mithun Rural Development Foundation (MRDF) have started a project to set up solar mini-grids in the interior villages of Nagaland.
MRDF is an SPV that is created to service the electricity needs of the north-eastern states. It is supported by organisations such as Smart Power India (SPI), ONGC and NABARD. The goal of this initiative is to provide clean energy access, improve livelihoods, support women entrepreneurs and increase the GDP of the state, while reducing green house gas emissions. This project aims to improve access, covering 1000 villages over the next 7 years. The first three mini-grids will be set up by February 2022 in the villages of Longkei, Totok Chingha and Chenwetnyu in Mon District.
The signed memorandum aims to align with the UN SDGs and reduce the carbon footprint along with generating green jobs. The initiative aims to encourage the use of a clean energy platform to increase household incomes by 15-20% and for enterprises by 20% in the targeted villages. The highlight of the MoU is the support of the local administration has brought towards the initiative.
For the first time, the setup of the mini-grids will aim to develop the community through an Integrated Village Development Program involving all members of the community and not just the customers. The local administration is facilitating coordination between the Village Councils / Village Development Boards and MRDF. The District Administration is also assisting MRDF by coordinating the efforts of various departments such as health, education, renewable energy, rural development with the work in the villages.
