Selco Solar to step up livelihood initiatives

After receiving good response for its ‘livelihood month’ initiative, Selco Solar Light Pvt Ltd (a social enterprise) is planning to further intensify its efforts provide solar-powered solutions to generate livelihood options in Karnataka.

Guruprakash Shetty, Assistant General Manager of Selco Solar Light Pvt Ltd, told BusinessLine that Selco provided 1,065 new entrepreneurial avenues through solar-powered solutions under its ‘livelihood month’ initiative from December 19 to January 20.

Selco Solar has come out with more than 60 solar-powered solutions that are designed to meet the livelihood requirements of a region/profession in a cost-effective manner. Its solutions include solar-powered laptop printers, sewing machines, blowers for blacksmiths, roti-rolling machine and milking machines.

Stating that Selco will keep up the momentum of this initiative in the coming months, Shetty said a minimum of another 1,000 entrepreneurial avenues will be generated through solar-powered solutions by the end of March.

Solar laptop printers

In fact, there was a major demand for solar-powered laptop printers in rural areas during the ‘livelihood month’ campaign period, as these printers can also be used to make photocopies.

He said people preferred the livelihood option of solar-powered laptop printers in nearly 50 per cent of cases during the ‘livelihood month’ initiative.

For a micro entrepreneur, who runs a pettyshop in a rural area, laptop printers provide an additional source of income. Quoting his experience in rural areas, he said most pettyshop owners do not get the income that is required for running their family, selling traditional items such as beedi, cigarette and paan. In such a situation, options like photocopying facility provide them additional income.

The regular photocopying machines are costly compared with laptop printers. While the regular photocopying machines need generators to run during power cuts, the laptop printers can work on solar power also, he said.

In around 30 per cent of cases, people preferred other solar-powered solutions such as sewing machines, roti-rolling machines and blowers for blacksmiths. Another 50-plus solar-powered solutions were preferred by people in another 20 per cent of cases, he said.