Mini Pedenti stays with her old, aged mother in Jaykaypur in Rayagada district of the Indian state of Odisha; she is unmarried. She works in a chemical company associated with the JK Paper Mill to make a living. She works for about 8 hours every day, from 9 am to 6 pm and earns Rs.150 for every work day. She purchased a solar lantern with the help of a loan from Milaap. Her house has only one bulb and one fan, and she pays a fixed amount of Rs.100 every month towards electricity for these 2 electrical appliances. If she installs another bulb, she will have to pay an additional Rs.100 every month. So, instead of using a second bulb, she uses the solar lantern in the kitchen to cook food after dark.
Besides, she also uses the lamp during blackouts that occur for 1 to 2 hours every day.
Prior to purchasing the solar lantern, she was dependent on a kerosene lamp at the time of blackouts.The fumes the lamp released while burning kerosene caused indoor pollution thereby rendering the air around them unsafe to breathe. Furthermore, she receives only 4 liters at a subsidized rate of Rs.14 through the government’s Public Distribution System. Any additional quantity she needs will have to be purchased at a burdensome price that goes up to Rs.50 in the open market.
With the solar lantern, neither has she any concerns with the air quality nor does she shell out heavy sum towards the purchase of kerosene or electricity.
Mini Pedenti with the solar lantern
