IFC Strengthens Market for Affordable Quality-Assured Solar Products in Rural Bihar

2026-06-09 05:00:03 Business

1123

Patna, India,September 27, 2015? IFC?s Lighting Asia/India program that aims to provide safe, affordable, and quality solar lights to people with limited or no access to electricity, is increasing the availability of quality-assured solar lighting products in rural parts of Bihar.This is being done through a consumer awareness campaign, Suryoday?.

Through an integrated media and outreach approach that includes exhibitions, wall art, radio campaigns, and an audio-visual filmat school and community contact programs, the Suryoday? campaign helps create demand for solar products.The campaign hascovered 720 villages in Bihar earlier. In the current phase, it willspread awareness in more than 3,000 additional villages and make these products available through last-mile distribution channels.

As part of the Suryoday? program,a first of its kind distribution melawas organized wheredistributers and manufacturers of solar appliances came together to devise ways to reach rural consumers. It also discussed the untapped market opportunity in India where the penetration of solar lighting products is well below 5 percent.More importantly, the distributors and retailers at the event understood the program?s quality assurance framework.

?Last mile distribution is crucial to increasing the uptake of quality solar lights in areas lacking adequate grid power,? said Anjali Garg, Program Manager, IFC?s Lighting Asia/India program. ?Through this event,we are helping facilitate productive partnerships between the manufacturers of quality- assured solar lights and distributors operating in rural districts of Bihar.?

All the solar lighting products being promoted under the campaign have passed an independent three-month quality assurance testing process. This quality assurance framework was developed by the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank, and has been adopted by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), world?s leading organization that sets International Standards for all electrical, electronic, and related technologies.

IFC?s Lighting Asia/India program is supported by the government of United States, Italy, Austria, and Australia. It is currently under way in Bihar, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Among the program?s manufacturing partners that have benefitted from the quality assurance framework are Barefoot Power, D.light Energy, ECCO Electronics, Greenlight Planet, Omnivoltaic, Orb Energy, Panasonic, and SUNLITE. Distribution partners who are boosting their businessesfrom the Suryoday? campaign are Frontier markets, Dharma Life, Mahindra EPC and TOTAL Oil India Pvt Ltd.

For further information, contact:
PR24x7 Network Limited
Atul Malikram
9755020247
amg24x7@gmail.com